A Knight's Ransom
by knightshade
Summary: Is Devon getting too old to run the Foundation?


Well, let's see, first a few words from the author. None of the original Knight Rider characters   
are mine, obviously. They belong to Glen A. Larson. No copyright infringement is intended on   
my part. This story is only for the amusement of people, like myself, who miss these characters   
and their stories.  
  
All other characters are my creations. Stephen's name was an intentional nod to the first AI   
movie I saw as a kid. He's named for a character in the movie, but he's not meant to be that   
character (bonus points if you can name the movie).  
  
The song lyrics are from Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down. Again, no copyright infringement is   
intended.  
  
The idea that Bonnie would borrow Kitt was an idea I had in my head for a long time, but   
obviously that was used by Elfin in Soul Survivor before I ever thought to put it on paper. No   
idea infringement is intended.  
  
A Knight's Ransom is PG-13 due to a little swearing here and there, but that's about it.   
  
A Knight's Ransom is set in the original Knight Rider universe. It takes place some time in the   
early nineties. Yes, I know, Kryptonite wasn't written then. Using it was creative license on my   
part. Other than the use of that song, I don't think there are any glaring time inconsistencies.  
  
And finally, I'm sending out a big, big thank to my beta readers, Cyberkat (find her at   
Cyberkat's Lair) and Kittn (must be a feline thing). I really appreciate your help.  
- knightshade  
  
  
A Knight's Ransom  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Dr. Bonnie Barstow watched through the open door as the black Trans Am pulled up behind   
the semi and prepared to drive up the ramp. The semi was parked outside the garage on the   
Foundation grounds. She could have met them in the garage, but sometimes the semi felt more   
like home.   
  
Bonnie sighed and took a last gulp of coffee before pulling down the diagnostic monitor. She   
had been up all night working on the infrared decoy. Michael and Kitt had called in and she   
thought they might need it. It was one of those designs that she had been working on in the   
background. It was never high priority because it hadn't been needed. Now they needed it   
and she wasn't looking forward to trying to get it installed with Michael watching over her   
shoulder. She also wasn't looking forward to telling Michael about the board meeting. She   
pulled her long brown hair back into a ponytail and started collecting her tools.  
  
After expertly pulling the black car up the ramp into the semi, Michael Knight popped the door   
and climbed out of the driver's seat. He was wearing his signature black leather jacket and a   
pair of jeans. He was a little angry with himself for having just walked into an ambush. To top it   
off, everyone involved had gotten away. He was no further along on the case and Kitt had   
gotten banged up.   
  
"Hey, Bonnie, how's it going?" Michael asked.   
  
"Fine. Any more run-ins with those IR missiles?"  
  
"No, the truck disappeared out of Kitt's scanner range while we were busy chasing the decoy."  
  
"I'll see what I can do about extending his range. Kitt, any damage aside from what your   
diagnostics indicated en route?"  
  
"No, Bonnie. There's some minor damage to my forward scanning array but nothing else."  
  
"Good. I'll fix that before I install the decoy." She turned to Michael. "The decoy mimics the   
heat signature of Kitt's engine. Once it's deployed, it should pull an IR missile off track and   
give you guys some cover."  
  
"Sounds good, how long will that take to install?" Michael said, eyeing his comlink out of habit.  
  
"As long as it takes," Bonnie answered with a grin as she lifted Kitt's hood and started the   
repairs.  
  
Michael flopped down into one of the comfortable chairs in the midsection of the semi. He   
watched Bonnie work and tried to engage her in conversation, but she was too focused on Kitt   
to pay much attention to him. He looked around for something else to pass the time and finally   
decided to head up to Devon's office to see if there was any more information on the weapons   
smugglers they were after.  
  
"Since I'm not doing much here, I think I'll go see if I can keep Devon from getting anything   
done," he announced and headed for the open door.  
  
"He's not here." Bonnie sighed and untangled herself from Kitt's systems. She set her wrench   
down on an aluminum tool rack next to Kitt and leaned against the car. "He got called to the   
Nevada estate for a special board meeting."  
  
"Do you know what it's about?" Michael asked, a little concerned.  
  
"Bonnie, the last, and only time, they held a special board meeting, they were trying to shut   
down FLAG," Kitt informed them. "They aren't trying to do that again, are they?"  
  
Bonnie stared down at the floor, "No, not exactly. The board convened to ask Devon to   
account for several, uhh, mistakes he's made in the past month or two. He got a heads-up call   
from Allan Thorpe, a friend of his on the board. Apparently certain members of the board are   
trying to get Devon replaced."  
  
* * *  
  
Devon Miles paced outside the boardroom. He looked sharp in a charcoal gray suit and dark   
tie but he was fuming. His light blue eyes, which normally had their fair share of twinkle, were   
steely and moody. It was bad enough that he knew exactly what they were discussing, but   
having to suffer this charade of waiting in the hallway was uncalled for. He walked over to get   
another cup of tea from the service set up near the stairs. As he poured himself the tea, he   
thought that perhaps they were right. He had been overlooking more and more things lately and   
there was the unfortunate incident with the lost donation check. He could have sworn he had   
put it directly in the safe after the fundraiser, but the next morning it was missing. He had turned   
the entire office upside down and couldn't find it anywhere. Having to call the donor to suggest   
a stop payment had been a humiliation he didn't ever want to repeat. Dr. Alpert had given him   
a clean bill of health when he went in last month for a physical, but he was getting on in years. It   
hurt him to think about leaving, about passing on Wilton Knight's dream to someone else. At   
the same time, he didn't want to cause any harm to the Foundation simply because he had too   
much pride to step down when he should.  
  
***  
  
"So who's trying to get rid of him?" Michael asked, as Bonnie continued to repair the missile   
damage.  
  
"I don't know, Michael."  
  
"Michael, do you think Jennifer Knight's trying to disrupt things again?" Kitt asked.  
  
"I thought she got the idea back when we were in Chicago. I thought she understood what   
FLAG was about and I'm pretty sure she appreciated us saving her life, but you never know."  
  
"She still gives Devon a lot of grief at board meetings. I know she shouldn't be trusted, but I   
don't think she's behind this," Bonnie said.  
  
"Bonnie, why are they trying to remove Devon? They can't just replace him without a reason,"   
Kitt asked.  
  
Bonnie signed and sat down in the chair next to Michael. "They don't feel he's competent to do   
the job anymore. There was an incident a few weeks ago; Devon lost a $10,000 donation   
check."   
  
Michael whistled.   
  
"Then he missed an emergency conference call, saying he'd never been told about it. And there   
have been other little things. Allan thinks they're going to push him out by giving him some sort   
of emeritus status. Maybe they'll bring in an assistant for him, who knows? Worst case, they   
might just ask him to step down."  
  
"But they can't do that." Kitt said.  
  
"Don't worry, Kitt, we won't let that happen. There's nothing wrong with Devon, right,   
Bonnie?"  
  
Bonnie got up and made a show of putting away the rest of her equipment.  
  
"Bonnie . . ."  
  
She turned around and stared at Michael with her brown eyes. Confusion and distress showed   
clearly in them. "I don't know. The last few months he's been very forgetful. He misses   
meetings. He's lost reports that I know were sent to him. If something's critical, I have to get   
him to do it right away or I'm afraid it won't get done. This came on suddenly in the last few   
months and I just don't know what to make of it. I suggested that he go see Dr. Alpert for a   
check-up, which he did. He didn't say anything to me about it afterwards, so I don't know if   
they found anything. But to be honest, I'm worried about him."  
  
Michael felt completely out of touch. Devon was his friend, almost like a father to him, and he   
had had no idea that any of this had been going on. "I guess I've been out on the road too   
much lately. I didn't even notice there was anything wrong," he said softly.  
  
"Bonnie, according to Devon's medical records, the results of the physical you mentioned were   
normal. Dr. Alpert ran a complete battery of neurological tests. None of them indicated there   
was a problem," Kitt said.  
  
"What are you doing in the medical records, Kitt? Those are supposed to be private." She   
gestured pointedly with a wrench she was about to put away.  
  
"When doing medical scans, it helps to have a baseline," was Kitt's weak response.  
  
Michael was tempted to ask Kitt about Bonnie's medical records, as a joke, but decided she   
probably wasn't in the mood for sparring. He wondered if she knew more than she was letting   
on. The board meeting wasn't a good sign but he couldn't see them replacing Devon, at least   
not right away.  
  
Bonnie had said all she felt like saying on the subject so she filled them in on the work she had   
just finished. "I fixed the damage to the front scanner array, extended the range a bit, and   
installed the IR decoy. To use it, you have to wait until the missile is in the air. Then launch the   
decoy, and go to an evasive maneuver. The missile should follow the decoy instead of Kitt."  
  
"Thanks. Let me know if you find out anymore about this situation with Devon. Kitt and I are   
going to go check out that warehouse. Maybe they left something behind during the ambush."  
  
"Okay. Be careful."   
  
Noticing that Bonnie still looked worried, Michael reached over to squeeze her arm. "I'm sure   
he'll be okay. Maybe he's just been under a lot of stress lately. And don't worry about the   
board. They'll want to investigate before doing something like asking him to step down." He   
turned back and climbed into Kitt. "Besides, maybe they'll put me in charge."  
  
Bonnie smiled and rolled her eyes. "Heaven help us all."  
  
***  
  
The boardroom was standard design. In the middle of the mahogany-paneled room there was a   
long mahogany table with rounded corners. One end of the room had a window overlooking   
the manicured grounds. There were fourteen high-backed chairs surrounding the table and a   
fifteenth at the head. All of the chairs were currently occupied except for those belonging to   
Devon and Jennifer Knight.   
  
Jennifer Knight was pacing as she tried to make her case through sheer force of will. The   
woman at the head of the table watched her intently and laughed inwardly at the theatrics.   
Chairwoman Therese Stanton was always amused with Ms. Jennifer Knight. Therese was in   
her late fifties and had been on the Knight Industries Board of Directors for eight years. She   
had been around the block once or twice and was long past the point where she felt inclined to   
jump into the fray. Instead, the board's politics amused her. She usually just let the hotheads   
have it out and then called the room to order and forced a compromise vote. Her ability to get   
the different sides to agree to a compromise was probably what had gotten her elected as   
Chairwoman. But back in her heyday she could manipulate, deal-make, and cajole with the rest   
of them. That's why she found Jennifer so damn funny; the woman had no sense of subtly. She   
gave long impassioned speeches about 'her father's dream' and sometimes even managed to   
eke out a tear for emphasis, but her motives were as transparent as cellophane. Therese knew   
that Jennifer had learned all her tricks in the process of getting where she was. Therese also   
recognized that Jennifer probably needed them to stay on top, but damn, she was a bitch.   
Jennifer was currently angling to be put in charge of the Foundation for Law and Government.   
Of course that had been on her agenda for years, which was exactly why Therese wasn't going   
to let her get it. No way, no how. She still had to prove that she could put something else   
above her own ambition. And as far as Therese was concerned, sacrificing Devon Miles to get   
what she wanted was a step in the wrong direction.  
  
"So I'm not saying that we shouldn't launch an investigation into these incidents and come to a   
permanent resolution, but I firmly believe that in the meantime, someone needs to be monitoring   
what is going on at FLAG," Jennifer finished and started to make her way back to her chair.   
Therese almost laughed out loud when she heard Allan Thorpe mutter, "Yeah, his name is   
Devon Miles." Jennifer missed that.  
  
"Does anyone else have anything?" Therese asked, hoping the answer was no.  
  
Peter Guerrero got up to speak. Therese liked him because he wasn't in the hothead category.   
He was rational and could usually be counted on to back up a compromise. His salt and   
pepper hair was a clue to his age -- early fifties -- but he'd managed to stave off the spare tire   
that many men developed in middle age. "I would like to agree with Ms. Knight that someone   
should be put in charge of FLAG temporarily. There are just too many life-threatening   
situations involved. If we have doubts about the leadership at FLAG, then we need to act on   
them until we can be sure one way or the other." With that brief statement, Peter sat down.  
  
Allan Thorpe practically bolted up from his chair. His face was red. Not a good sign, thought   
Therese. Allan was definitely in the hothead category and he was a staunch supporter of both   
FLAG and Devon Miles. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. Devon has served this organization   
since its inception. He was a friend and right-hand man to Wilton Knight. I don't believe it's   
our right to oust him before we've even investigated these allegations. Devon is perfectly   
capable of handling things while we investigate and if he wasn't, I'm sure he would have the   
integrity to step down. He wouldn't jeopardize FLAG or its people for his own personal   
ambition."  
  
Therese checked Jennifer's reaction to the thinly veiled barb. She was sitting with her hands   
folded in front of her, a benign little smile on her face. She let the comment slide right by.   
  
"I say we go ahead and investigate, but we owe Devon our respect and our gratitude. We   
should allow him to continue on as head of FLAG until we find concrete proof that he isn't up to   
the task anymore." Allan sat down again. In general he was a pretty even-handed man, but   
when something got him angry, there was no stopping his temper. The bloody politics of the   
board definitely made him angry.  
  
Therese waited a beat, then spoke. "Well, it appears we have a lot to consider. I suggest we   
take a break before hearing from Devon, himself."  
  
The board members filed out, mostly without comment. Devon rose from his seat next to the   
door as they left. He noticed that a few of them wouldn't look him in the eye.  
  
As he left the boardroom, Allan Thorpe looked for Devon. Standing about Devon's height,   
Allan was a bigger man with a round face, half-hidden by a thick beard, and in his early forties,   
he was one of the youngest board members. He took Devon by the arm and led him down the   
hallway.  
  
"They wanted to take a short break. Devon, how are you doing?"  
  
"I've been better, Allan. I don't care for waiting in the hall while the board debates my senility."  
  
"If it's any consolation, most of the board recognizes this as the power-play it is. I don't think   
they want to see you replaced. However, I think most of them have questions about the Noyes   
donation."  
  
"I wish I knew what happened Allan," Devon said in a low voice. "I was sure that I put it in my   
wall safe, as I would have done with any sizable donation. I just don't know what happened."  
  
Allan looked at his friend with sympathy. He had always admired Devon and he hated to see   
him in this position. Most of the board felt as he did, that it had simply been an oversight, but it   
was still disturbing. Dr. Noyes had put a stop payment on the check, which hadn't been   
cashed. He had even issued another one, so there hadn't been any real harm done, other than   
the embarrassment. Allan hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary with Devon, lately. There   
was always a lot of stress that came with his job but he seemed as up to the task as ever. He   
made a mental note to try to find out more from the people who worked closely with Devon.  
  
They turned down a short hallway and stopped to talk. "So how are things going aside from all   
of this?" Allan asked.  
  
"Oh, the usual. We're ahead on charitable donations for the year and I was thinking of   
increasing the size of the Technology Research Trust. There are some very promising college   
candidates who applied for grants this year. It would be nice to be able to fund them all."  
  
"That sounds like a good idea."  
  
"Hopefully, I'll get the chance to implement it."  
  
Allan was concerned. He wasn't used to Devon sounding down. Usually the man put on a   
good face no matter what the situation. Allan admired that trait because he was unable to keep   
his own emotions from riding on his sleeve. He'd like to have a little of Devon's unflappable   
cool. "Devon, are you really all right?"  
  
Devon thought before answering. He wanted to confide in Allan but he didn't think it was the   
right time. As much as he didn't want to damage the Foundation by staying too long, he also   
didn't want the board to take the decision away from him. He also knew that Allan would fight   
for him, if it came to that. "Yes, Allan. It's just a bit disconcerting."  
  
They slowly made their way back towards the boardroom. Peter Guerrero stopped Devon as   
they passed. "Hey, Devon, I didn't get a chance to thank you for the tour of FLAG's labs last   
month. It was really fascinating. I had some questions for Dr. Barstow. Do you think she'd   
mind if I emailed her?"  
  
"No, of course not. Bonnie loves to show off FLAG's latest developments. I'm sure she'd   
appreciate the interest."  
  
Jackal, thought Allan. This was what he hated most. They were all a bunch of corporate   
jackals. They'd stab you in the back and then turn around and offer to buy you a beer. He'd   
vowed many times that he'd work with them but never turn into one of them.   
  
"Well, I think we should probably head in," Allan said, after Peter had moved on.  
  
"Hmm. So they can hand me my head," Devon said with his characteristic deadpan tone.  
  
"No, with the exception of a few people who have way too much ambition, they just want to   
make sure there's nothing wrong."  
  
"Of course," Devon responded dryly.  
  
They both entered the room and took their respective chairs. Therese Stanton stood up to   
address the group. "Can we come to order, please?"  
  
She waited for the conversations to die, then continued. "Devon, do you have anything you'd   
like to say at this time?"  
  
"Not at this time," Devon replied.  
  
Therese decided to avoid a vote for now. She felt that more information was necessary and   
since Devon wasn't choosing to defend himself, she wanted time. Being Chairwoman had its   
perks. As part of the bylaws, she was allowed to delay any vote in order to allow for fact-  
finding. "Devon, I think that before any decisions are made, it would help the board to have a   
full, written account of what happened with the Noyes check. It would also be helpful to have   
more information on how FLAG is currently being run. We all recognize the wonderful job   
you've done with it to this point; however, some of us feel that perhaps the job has become too   
big for any one person. We'd like you to turn over pertinent notes and operational documents   
as soon as possible. I'd like to emphasize that this is not a witch-hunt. It's simply an attempt to   
determine the current status of the project. Devon, how long do you think it will take to compile   
the necessary documentation?"  
  
Devon's mind was racing but he managed to sound composed. "I believe two weeks would be   
adequate."  
  
"Very well. After the documentation has been disseminated, we'll reconvene to go over the   
details. If there's nothing further, this meeting is adjourned."  
  
Devon walked quickly to the door, not wanting to get caught up in another conversation with   
Allan. Therese watched him go. She felt for the man. He was in an incredibly difficult situation   
and she hoped he would be able to come through it unscathed. She had always been drawn to   
Devon and was more than a little attracted to those twinkling blue eyes and that beautiful British   
accent.  
  
***  
  
"Okay, Kitt, silent mode," Michael said as they approached the warehouse where they had   
been attacked earlier. The engine noise was immediately muffled, the only sound was that of the   
gravel crunching beneath the tires. Two weeks ago, they had received an anonymous tip about   
a group dealing in stolen military weapons. According to the source, they were operating out of   
a warehouse on the waterfront. Michael and Kitt had been staking out the warehouses in the   
area when Kitt's sensors had picked up infrared missiles and launchers. They had seen a truck   
leaving the building and followed it. After tracking it halfway around the harbor area, they had   
finally figured it was just a delivery truck and had gone back to the original warehouse.   
Unfortunately, the truck had been a decoy and there had been a welcoming party waiting for   
them. They had gone in for a closer look and had gotten to see the pointy end of an IR missile.   
  
"Kitt, who owns this place?"  
  
"The warehouse is owned by Dennis Armstrong of Belharbor Industries. It's been in his name   
for the last five years. Before that it was owned by Metzler Shipping."  
  
"Okay. Let's take another look." Michael wheeled the car around the corner and came up to   
a chain link fence protecting the area behind the warehouse. "Looks like I'm going to have to   
take a closer look on my own."   
  
"Be careful, Michael. All the metal in the area is interfering with my scanners."  
  
Michael got out of the car and nimbly scaled the chain link. When he reached the top, he pulled   
himself over and then dropped to the ground. The back of the building faced the water and   
there was a loading crane on the other end of the property. As Michael headed that direction,   
he noticed some unusual marks on the ground. "Kitt, get a picture of these. They look like tank   
tracks."  
  
"Got it, Michael."  
  
Michael headed back towards the warehouse and found that the lock on the door was broken.   
Entering, he found it mostly empty. He located the office and started looking through the   
contents of the file cabinets. "Kitt, most of these look like standard shipping and receiving   
documents, but take some pictures anyway." Michael rifled through a desk in the office and   
then wandered around the empty warehouse. "I don't think they've left us much of anything to   
go on here. Let's head back to the Foundation and see if Bonnie can match these marks to a   
vehicle."  
  
"Okay, Michael."  
  
Michael scaled the fence for a second time and met up with Kitt on the other side. They left the   
warehouse and headed toward the highway. "Michael, do you think there's anything wrong   
with Devon?"  
  
"I don't know, Kitt. Bonnie seems worried about him and the fact that the board is involved   
isn't a good sign. I haven't noticed anything. But we've been out on more cases than usual   
lately. I just don't know. He is getting older."  
  
"Do you think the board will actually make him step down?"  
  
"I don't know, Kitt." Michael really didn't want to think about that. To him, Devon had always   
been the Foundation. He couldn't even consider what it would be like if someone else were in   
charge. Despite all the times he and Devon had gone head to head, he always trusted and   
respected Devon. As far as Michael was concerned, FLAG was his family. After losing   
everyone he loved as Michael Long, he had latched onto the few people around him he could   
trust. It had taken time but Kitt, Devon, and Bonnie had become his lifeline. Over the years   
they had all been threatened or harmed, but he had always been able to do something, to help.   
He could find the bad guys and save his friends. The prospect of facing something he couldn't   
do anything about was more than he wanted to consider for the moment. "Let's just hope it's   
stress and that things will get back to normal, okay?"  
  
"But do you think the board could put someone else in charge of the Foundation?" Kitt   
persisted, obviously worried too.  
  
"Lets just cross that bridge if we come to it, okay, buddy? I think we have a long way to go   
before worrying about who Devon's replacement is going to be."  
  
***  
  
Bonnie was strolling along a path on the Foundation's grounds. Sometimes she spent too much   
time working in front of a computer and just needed to get out. She rounded the corner to head   
back to the lab and noticed Devon's limo parked in its usual place. He must be back from   
Nevada, she thought. Then she spotted Allan Thorpe pulling up in his BMW. He saw her   
standing there and headed straight towards her.  
  
"Ah, Dr. Barstow, just the person I was looking for. Do you have a minute?"  
  
Bonnie was immediately suspicious. She didn't want to say anything to him until she knew what   
had happened at the board meeting.  
  
"Hi Allan. How are you?"  
  
"I'm doing fine. Look I wanted to ask you a few things. I know you know about the board   
meeting. What's your take on the situation?"  
  
Bonnie's voice was flat. "Everything's fine, Allan."  
  
"Look, we aren't trying to crucify him, or at least most of us aren't. We just need to know that   
he's still up to the job. The incident with the donation has everyone a little rattled."  
  
"Everything's fine. I really don't know what else I can tell you." Bonnie changed course and   
headed back to the garages. She really didn't want Devon to see her talking to Allan, even if   
she was determined not to tell him anything useful. Allan took a few steps to follow her.  
  
"Look, if he needs an extra hand, we can hire someone. I respect Devon, but if he's in over his   
head then maybe its time someone bailed him out. If that isn't the case, fine. I just need to hear   
it from the people who work with him the most. Is he still up to it?"  
  
"Yes, Allan. You can tell the board that everything is just fine. I don't know what happened   
with the donation check but Devon is more that capable of doing his job. He's been at this a   
long time and everyone makes mistakes."   
  
"If you need anything or if circumstances change, let me know."   
  
Bonnie was relieved when he turned and got back into his car. She wanted to know what was   
going on before she let anyone know about Devon's recent lapses. And even though she liked   
Allan, she wasn't going to trust anyone on the board right now. They had proven in the past   
that it was best to leave them in the dark unless absolutely necessary.   
  
***  
  
Bonnie hesitated and then walked into Devon's office. He was sitting behind his desk with a   
cup of tea.  
  
"Ah, there you are. I need the numbers for this year's Operations budget and a breakdown of   
what's been spent so far. Also, if you could, please compile a list of the parts ordered for Kitt,"   
Devon said, without looking up.  
  
"Sure. No problem." Bonnie paused for a minute, sizing him up. He didn't seem to be upset   
or angry but at times he was hard to read. "How did the board meeting go?"  
  
"Fine," Devon said as he started leafing through the papers on his desk. "How was your chat   
with Allan Thorpe?"  
  
Damn. He must have seen them talking while getting his tea on the back veranda. "Devon, he   
just wanted to know how things were going."  
  
"And whether or not you've notice any strange behavior. Whether or not the old bird is losing   
his mind." Devon regretted saying it as soon as it came out. He cursed the fact that he was   
reacting childishly to seeing Bonnie talk to Allan. He didn't mean to lash out at her but for some   
reason he couldn't help feeling betrayed. It wasn't like him to behave this way and it was   
troubling. Maybe this was further evidence of some neurological problem. That thought was   
chilling, so he pushed it away.  
  
Bonnie took a deep breath. "Devon, you know that's not true. He's just worried about you.   
And frankly so am I."  
  
Devon couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't angry or irrational so he chose to say   
nothing. "I'll need those numbers before you go today," he said, before making a show of going   
back to his paperwork.  
  
Bonnie was about to turn and leave when Michael, carrying a handful of photographs, sauntered   
into the office. He could immediately feel the tension in the air. He caught Bonnie's eye but she   
just shook her head. He decided it was best to play dumb and ignore it.   
  
"Any idea what these might be?" he asked as he tossed the pictures onto Devon's already-  
crowded desk.  
  
Relieved to have a distraction, Devon studied them a moment. "They look like marks from tank   
tracks."  
  
"That's exactly what they looked like to me. Bonnie, can you compare these to known tanks   
and tell me what kind of vehicle these belong to?"  
  
"Sure. It'll take a little while to run them through the image processing software. I'll give you a   
call when I have something." She took the pictures and headed out of Devon's office.  
  
"Did you find anything else at the warehouse?" Devon asked as he scanned through some   
reports.  
  
"No, they cleaned everything out. There wasn't any sign of the missiles they fired at us this   
morning. But whoever's behind this has access to heat seeking missiles and from the looks of   
things, tanks. And they have the resources to keep this stuff hidden. Hiding a tank in LA has   
got to take a lot of heavy equipment. You can't just truck that down the highway."  
  
"They must have access to a rail line and freight cars. That would be the easiest way to   
transport and conceal a tank. Who owns the warehouse?"  
  
"A company called Belharbor Industries. I was thinking of paying them a visit. Their main   
office is near the airport."  
  
"Good. I certainly don't like the idea of this kind of weaponry in the wrong hands. Let me   
know if you find anything."   
  
"I will. Devon, is everything okay?"  
  
"Yes, everything is fine, Michael," came the frosty reply. Devon wasn't interested in starting this   
conversation again. If the board came to a decision, he would discuss it with Michael and   
Bonnie, but not before then.  
  
***  
  
Michael joined Bonnie and Kitt in the semi. Bonnie was still running the pictures through the   
computer.  
  
"Find anything?" Michael asked.  
  
"Not yet, but I'm getting close."  
  
"Did he tell you anything?"  
  
"No. He was very defensive, so I'm guessing it didn't go well. I have to provide him with a   
budget report and some other numbers which I assume are for the board."  
  
"Well, I guess there isn't much we can do. I wish he trusted us enough to tell us what's going   
on."  
  
"I don't think it's a matter of trust, Michael. He's from a generation that doesn't really talk   
about things like this openly. He's probably embarrassed about what happened and doesn't   
want anyone to see that."  
  
Michael nodded silently.  
  
"Hmm. That's not good." Bonnie said, turning back to her computer. "Those track footprints   
are from a Soviet T72."  
  
"What's a Soviet tank doing in Los Angeles?" Kitt asked from the semi's service bay, where   
he was parked.  
  
"That's a very good question, Kitt. I'm guessing that someone at Belharbor Industries can   
probably tell us. Let's hit the road."  
  
Michael climbed into the driver's seat and they backed out of the semi. They did a quick 180   
and headed out of the Foundation compound.  
  
***  
  
Michael was getting frustrated. They had been staking out Belharbor Industries' warehouses   
for close to a week now and there was nothing. He had broken into their main offices and   
hadn't found anything in their paperwork to suggest that they were involved in arms dealing.   
They seemed to be on the up and up. For a smaller company, they had managed to become   
vertically integrated. They handled everything from computerized scheduling and inventory   
control to shipping and receiving for smaller retail companies. Michael had toyed with the idea   
that maybe they weren't involved and that someone else was using their storage facilities as a   
base. But he couldn't explain how a tank could be off-loaded from either a ship or a freight   
train without skilled operators and heavy cranes like the ones with the Belharbor Industries logo   
painted on their sides. So the only thing left for them to do was watch the warehouses and that   
was starting to feel like a dead end. Michael finished his coffee and tossed the cup into a pile on   
the floor.  
  
"Do you mind?" Kitt asked, annoyed.  
  
"Sorry, buddy, I'll get around to cleaning up the mess when something finally breaks." He   
stared down at the heap of fast food wrappers and paper cups. He was surprised that Kitt   
hadn't said anything sooner. In fact, he was surprised at how quiet Kitt had been lately. "Kitt,   
is everything okay?"  
  
"Yes, Michael."  
  
"You seem awfully quiet."  
  
"Michael, can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I've been thinking about Devon and the apparent memory problems he's been having."  
  
"And."  
  
"It has me thinking about the human aging process. You grow older and experience more   
difficulties with your physical bodies. I, on the other hand, can have my systems improved,   
upgraded, and replaced. You might say that, in a real sense, I get better with age. As   
technology improves, so can my systems. Michael, what will happen to me when you're no   
longer able to do this sort of work? Will I be shut down or forced to work with someone   
new?"  
  
Michael hadn't really thought about this angle before. He had thought about what would   
happen to Kitt if he died. He had a cavalier attitude about it because he didn't want to think   
about the details of how or when he might die. He assumed that Devon or Bonnie would be   
around and they would have Kitt's best interests at heart. But he hadn't really considered the   
issue of retirement. He had taken Kitt with him when he quit after being shot, but he knew that   
was a short-term arrangement. Kitt couldn't survive long without the resources of the   
Foundation and someone to take care of him.   
  
"Well, pal, I don't really know. I hope you could come with me when I retire. We could run   
circles around the rest of the nursing home residents in their wheelchairs."  
  
Kitt was silent.  
  
Michael tried to think of something comforting to say. Obviously, Kitt was upset about this.   
"Kitt, I guess maybe we should work out the details but it's really all going to come down to the   
circumstances. I'd like to think that we have a long career ahead of us, but if it's bothering you,   
then we should go over the options."  
  
"Michael, when things calm down, I think I'd like to do that." Kitt wasn't sure there were any   
options he'd like, but it was best to be prepared. He couldn't imagine going on without   
Michael.  
  
They went back to watching the warehouse without saying anything more.  
  
***  
  
Bonnie was on her way out for the night when Gates McIntyre caught up with her. Gates was   
Bonnie's counterpart in Research and Development, and a longtime friend. Bonnie headed up   
Operations, which mainly consisted of supporting Kitt, and Gates was in charge of R&D. She   
was glad he had stuck around. Many of the software engineers who were hired to get Kitt   
rolled out on time had left FLAG when their task was complete. Gates was supportive of Kitt   
and was always there to lend a hand when they needed him.  
  
"I've been trying to find you for an hour. Did you check the network posts this afternoon?" he   
asked.  
  
"No. What's wrong?"  
  
"Bonnie, Devon logged the report detailing Kitt's weaknesses on the network instead of the   
proprietary machines."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I took it down as soon as I saw it, but someone could have downloaded it. We really need to   
get those patches in place as soon as possible."  
  
"Shit. Devon's never been that careless. Have you talked to him?"  
  
"No. I've been trying to track you down. Look, I'll get Stephen and some of the others on it   
tonight and hopefully we'll be able to have some of the patches ready to go by morning."   
  
Stephen Falken was a former FLAG technician who currently worked for NASA and owned a   
consulting firm that specialized in viruses. The Foundation had hired him early on, when they   
first started conceptualizing Kitt's systems. Despite the fact that he had left, Stephen was very   
loyal to FLAG and close to both Bonnie and Gates.   
  
"Okay, I'll have Michael bring Kitt in so we have him close by if something happens. Look, the   
chances that someone actually saw the report are pretty small. We're probably fine, but let's   
be on the safe side. He had some big holes this time around."  
  
Bonnie turned and headed back to the semi. She really didn't want to think about what this   
meant for Devon.   
  
***  
  
Michael was relieved to have an excuse to leave the stakeout. He didn't want to admit that they   
had wasted the last few days, but it looked like the arms dealers had taken their wares and   
moved on. On the other hand, he hadn't liked the look on Bonnie's face when she'd asked   
them to come in. He was about to launch into the usual banter about her over-protectiveness,   
but she seemed more troubled than usual. Then there was the fact that she was going to meet   
them with the semi, even though they were only 12 miles out.   
  
"Hey, pal, do you have any idea what's going on?"  
  
"No, Michael. I hope there isn't something wrong with Devon. Maybe the board has made   
some sort of decision."  
  
"I suppose that could be it." Michael still wasn't willing to believe there could be anything   
wrong with Devon. Even though Devon was older, a part Michael just assumed he'd always be   
there. Michael thought about all the people he'd left behind when Michael Long died and how   
hard it had been to open up to people after that. In one instant, everyone he counted on and   
loved was gone. He didn't have the closure of death and a funeral. It was somehow worse to   
know they were out there somewhere but he just couldn't be with them. The fact that he   
thought of Kitt as a machine in those days had actually made it easier to open up to him. He   
had assumed that Kitt would always be repaired and he wouldn't have to worry about losing   
him or feeling responsible for his death. Of course he had been wrong about that. The times   
that Kitt had been destroyed or seriously damaged had been gut wrenching, but in the early   
days Kitt was any easy first step to letting people back into his life.   
  
"Kitt. Did I ever apologize to you for how awful I was to you in the beginning?"  
  
"Yes, but as I've told you before, Michael, there's no reason to apologize."  
  
"Yes, there is. I treated you like you were nothing more than a machine. I feel bad about that.   
I also wanted you to know how nice it was having you there in the beginning. I didn't want to   
admit it, but I was still reeling from losing everyone close to me. It was nice to have someone   
there who wasn't going to go away."  
  
Kitt was going to remind Michael that he was indeed a machine, but Michael had never   
mentioned the part about losing the people close to him before. "Thank you, Michael."  
  
"You're welcome, Kitt. I love you. You're the best friend I've ever had."  
  
"I love you too, Michael."  
  
"So, what do you say we catch up with Bonnie already so we can find out what this is all   
about?" Michael asked, as he pressed down harder on the accelerator.  
  
***  
  
Michael was going to take a seat in one of the comfortable chairs in the semi's office section but   
decided instead to perch himself against Kitt's hood. Half-sitting, half-leaning, with his arms   
crossed, he was the picture of nonchalance, but in reality, he was leaning on Kitt because it gave   
him a feeling of strength and support.  
  
"So, are you going to keep us in suspense forever?" Actually, Michael was more than a little   
annoyed. He and Kitt had raced to meet the semi but when they pulled in, Bonnie had shushed   
them. She was typing feverishly on the computer along the wall.  
  
"Sorry, I just wanted to get this code to a good stopping point so I don't lose my train of   
thought. Hopefully, I've got all the bugs worked out." She stopped and turned to face them.  
  
"Michael, we try to make sure that Kitt's system is secure. We have firewalls and other   
security devises in place to make sure that no one can tap into him and do any damage. But we   
do make a lot of changes and upgrades so sometimes holes develop. There are always hackers   
looking for bigger and better targets, so every 6 months we have a group of people try to break   
into Kitt's systems. They're all people who worked on Kitt in the early days. A couple of them   
have worked in computer security so they're a lot more aware of what's going on out there with   
viruses and hacking techniques than I am. When they're finished trying to compromise his   
security, they submit a report detailing weaknesses they find and suggestions on how to fix them.   
That report gets posted on a group of proprietary computers. They don't have any connections   
to the outside world, so they're very secure. Once the report is posted, we start working on   
fixes. Well, yesterday Devon posted the report on the internal network instead of the   
proprietary machines."  
  
"Okay, so you think someone knows Kitt's weaknesses?" Michael asked.  
  
"It's hard to say. The internal network has security in place too, and it's only meant to be   
accessed by FLAG employees, but even the Pentagon gets hacked. We have our share of   
intruders. We just want time to get the fixes worked out so we're sure that Kitt's safe. We   
want him close so that if something does happen, we'll know right away."  
  
"Bonnie, what was in the report this time? Was there something particularly bad?" Kitt asked.  
  
"Kitt, one of the holes could allow someone to download your program right out of your CPU   
over the Foundation's private carrier wave."  
  
Everyone was quiet for a moment.  
  
"Kitt, I wouldn't worry too much. It was only up for a few hours so I don't think anyone saw   
it. Someone would have to be pretty skilled and have access to a lot of equipment to pull it off.   
The chances that anything could actually happen are pretty slim. We just want to make sure."  
  
"Okay, Bonnie."  
  
The room got quiet again. Bonnie went back to her typing and Michael pulled his legs up onto   
Kitt's hood. He took off his jacket and used it to cushion his head on the windshield. He   
hoped Bonnie was right and no one had seen the report. He didn't like the idea that it was even   
possible for someone to steal his partner right out from under him. He had a feeling that it was   
going to be a long couple of days. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but even the rhythmic   
sound of Bonnie's typing couldn't lull him to sleep.  
  
  
***  
  
Michael was definitely getting restless. He and Kitt had been cooped-up at the Foundation for   
two days now waiting for Bonnie and the other technicians to work out patches for the security   
holes in Kitt's systems. And he was starting to think that maybe Kitt needed to get out too.   
Kitt had been getting edgy the last few hours and Michael was afraid that being constantly   
reminded of his weaknesses was getting to him. Michael certainly couldn't blame Kitt. He   
hated to be poked and prodded himself. Michael pulled open the door to Kitt's garage and   
walked over to his partner, admiring the shiny black skin. "Hey, Kitt, what do you say we go   
for a drive, maybe give those warehouses another once over?"  
  
"Michael, are you sure that's a good idea?"  
  
Michael opened the driver's side door and gently patted the dash. "I don't know about you,   
but I'm getting tired of just hanging around here waiting for Bonnie to finish her software."  
  
"But, Michael, what if someone hacks into my systems?"  
  
"Well, they could hack into your systems here. And I'm sure Bonnie and company could be   
put on call to come get us at any sign of trouble. Besides, I don't know about you, but I'm   
getting pretty bored just hanging around here. The warehouses are probably still empty, but it'll   
at least give us something to do."  
  
Kitt was concerned so he decided to stall. He didn't want Michael depending on him when he   
was vulnerable. He didn't want to get into a situation where he couldn't protect Michael.   
"What did Bonnie say?"  
  
"I haven't asked her yet. I'm sure she'll say no, but we can talk her into it."  
  
Kitt was still hesitant, but Michael seemed so eager. "Well, if Bonnie agrees . . ."  
  
"Great, I'll go talk to her." Michael jumped out and went in search of Bonnie before Kitt could   
change his mind.  
  
Michael figured that Bonnie would be working in the lab, so he headed off in that direction.   
There was a building behind the mansion that housed the semi and Kitt's garage. The lab was   
located on the first floor of the main building. Michael didn't spend much time in the lab   
because he felt like an outsider. There were several technicians he didn't know who were   
always lurking around and Bonnie always seemed especially busy when she was working there.   
Michael walked down the path leading to the estate's back entrance. As he walked past the   
reflecting pool, he noticed there were birds splashing in it. He didn't usually take much time to   
appreciate the Foundation's grounds, but the prospect of actually having something to do had   
put him in a good mood.  
  
Michael bypassed the back veranda with its café-style restaurant and entered through the side   
door. He paused, not exactly sure which door led to the main lab. He made a guess and then   
entered his pass code on the keypad. The little LED turned green and he opened the door.   
The main area of the lab had several blue and gray benches, arranged in rows, and scattered   
with equipment. Several people were gathered around a group of computers, arguing.   
Nervously, Michael scanned the room for Bonnie and found her with a technician named Gates.   
No one looked up as he made his way over.  
  
"So, I was thinking that maybe Kitt and I could go check out those warehouses one more time.   
There's probably nothing there, but I really think Kitt could use some time away."  
  
Bonnie was about to say no, but then reconsidered it. Kitt had seemed down the past couple of   
days and they didn't really need him to be in sight to complete the software work. She had just   
gotten a fairly long nap, so she was in a better frame of mind. "Okay."  
  
All of Michael's arguments dried up on his lips, leaving him speechless. He really hadn't   
expected it to be that easy. "Uh, well, great. Really?"  
  
Bonnie swiveled in her chair in order to savor the look of confusion on Michael's face. In a   
playful mood, she cocked an eyebrow at him. "See, I'm not always the ogre you make me out   
to be."  
  
Michael thought for a second and then took the bait. "No, not ogre. Ogres are big and ugly   
with bulging eyes and crooked teeth. I usually think dragonlady. You know, majestic and   
graceful but with nasty talons and usually breathing fire."  
  
Bonnie laughed for the first time in a while. It felt good to relax for a minute. "Great, I'll be sure   
to add fire-breathing to my resume." She ignored the kick she got under the bench from Gates.   
"No, you're right, I think it would do Kitt some good to get out and we don't really need him   
here. Just be sure he checks in with your position regularly in case of trouble. I think if anyone   
were going to try something, they would have done it by now. Happy hunting."  
  
"We'll check in like clockwork. See you later."   
  
Michael turned and headed out of the lab, missing the smile playing on Bonnie's lips. As the   
door clicked shut, Gates smiled at Bonnie. "Dragonlady, huh?"  
  
"Shut up, Gates."  
  
"Majestic and graceful?"  
  
"Gates, I'm warning you . . . ," Bonnie said, swiveling back to face her computer, not wanting   
Gates to see that she was blushing. She wondered why she kept doing this to herself. Every so   
often she found herself flirting with Michael and she always wanted to kick herself afterward.   
She tried to concentrate on her coding but it took a while for her smile to fade.  
  
***   
  
"Ah, the lovely LA smog. It's nice to be back out on the road, contributing."  
  
"Michael, you have a way of taking all the poetry out of a nice day."  
  
"Oh, sorry, Kitt, I didn't mean to offend your poetic sensibilities. It's good to be back on the   
road, though."  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"So what's up, Kitt?"  
  
"It's just a little nerve-racking, Michael, to think that someone could come along and steal my   
program. Who knows what they could do with it, with me. I just wish Bonnie would hurry and   
get those security fixes in place."  
  
"So do I, Kitt. I'm sure she's doing everything she can. We just gotta hang in there."  
  
"I know, Michael. Why did Devon have to put the report on the wrong network?"  
  
"Kitt, I'm sure he didn't mean to compromise your security. He has a lot of responsibilities and   
I think that maybe they've been too much, lately. I think we should try to help him out as much   
as possible and just be patient."  
  
"Of course, Michael."  
  
"Okay, Kitt, we're coming up on the first warehouse. Silent mode, please."   
  
The warehouse was made of rotting wooden planks and it was listing a bit to one side. Kitt   
scanned the area and didn't find any evidence that it had been occupied in the last month or   
two.   
  
"Okay, buddy, let's move on to the next place on the list." Michael was already beginning to   
think this was only slightly better than prowling the Foundation's grounds.  
  
***  
  
Bonnie knocked gingerly before entering Devon's office. She had meant to keep him up to date   
on their progress, but she had been too caught up in the patch effort. It didn't help that Devon   
had almost sequestered himself in his office. It also didn't help that they hadn't really talked   
since Devon had gotten upset over her conversation with Allan. Bonnie figured it would just   
blow over, but she didn't feel like pushing it.  
  
Devon glanced up as Bonnie walked in. He hoped she was here to tell him that they had   
finished the work on the security holes. He had avoided the lab because he didn't want to face   
the entire crew of technicians, after he had caused all the extra work for them. He didn't feel   
like walking into a lion's den.  
  
"Have you completed the patches?" Devon asked.  
  
"No. We have all the minor holes plugged, but we're still trying to safeguard his program from   
theft."  
  
Devon sighed. "Keep me informed."  
  
"I'll try. It gets hard to get away. Oh, and Michael and Kitt went to check for activity at the   
warehouses a couple of hours ago."  
  
"Do you think that's wise?"  
  
"Well, I know they were both going a little stir crazy and I think it was really getting to Kitt.   
Besides, they're being good about checking in, so we know where they are. I really think that if   
we had a problem, it would have shown up by now."  
  
Devon tried to take her words to heart. He hadn't been getting much sleep himself, lately. He   
was dreading a phone call telling him that Kitt's program had been stolen. He really couldn't   
remember putting the report on the internal network, but then again he wasn't remembering a lot   
of the things lately. He was starting to think that all of this was just someone's way of telling him   
it was time to step down. He really wasn't doing any of them much good.  
  
"Let's hope you're right, Bonnie. Let me know when you have the software upgrades   
completed. And I don't need to tell you that they should be installed as soon as possible."  
  
"Of course, Devon." She turned, headed for the door, then paused. "Hang in there."  
  
He glanced up at her, silently, then watched her go.   
  
***  
  
By the time they had reached the fifth warehouse, Michael had all but given up on finding   
anything. Nothing had changed since the last time they had scouted out the warehouses. Kitt   
went into silent mode out of habit and they turned down the dirt driveway. The warehouse had   
soiled white paint peeling off its wooden exterior. It was set back from the road and   
surrounded by derelict marina cranes and other, smaller, warehouses. The entrance to the   
building was around back. As Michael absentmindedly steered Kitt around the corner so they   
could check out the pier, Kitt's voice panel lit up.   
  
"Michael, I'm detecting T72 tread marks in the mud behind the building."  
  
"Recent?"  
  
"Well, they weren't here the last time I scanned this warehouse."  
  
"No sign of the tank itself, though?"  
  
"No, but there are a lot of things around here to interfere with my scanners," Kitt said.  
  
"Okay, buddy, keep looking. I'm going to go check it out."  
  
Michael cautiously opened the door and slipped out of the car. Crouching down, he shut the   
door as quietly as possible. He looked around and then darted to a pile of scrap metal parts   
along the side of the building. From there he peered around the corner and remembered that   
this particular warehouse had a rail line running behind the smaller buildings in back. Keeping   
low, he covered the distance to the first smaller building and tried to get a look through its dusty   
window.   
  
Just as Michael was about to move on to the next small building, he heard an engine turn over   
noisily and then catch. The motor revved up and then there was metallic grinding and clanking   
as two tracks began their circular journey. A massive Soviet T72 tank lumbered out of one the   
smaller buildings near Michael.  
  
"Kitt, I need you!" Michael shouted into the comlink on his wrist. The tank was between him   
and Kitt; there was nowhere for him to go. The vehicle swiveled around and headed right   
toward Michael. Staring the tank down, he dove to the right just before the T72 plowed   
through the wall of the building behind him.   
  
Kitt was putting the car into gear to race to Michael's aid, when he detected someone   
connecting to his systems. He assumed it was Bonnie or one of the other technicians feeding   
him information as they normally would. Then his navigation system shut down. He tried to   
enact the standard security procedures, but he wasn't fast enough and he lost the connection to   
his external functions. As he was trying to reestablish the link, more systems started shutting   
down. He tried to stop the cascade of failures but he couldn't anticipate which system would   
be attacked next.   
  
"Kitt!"  
  
Michael was greeted with uncharacteristic static and then an electronic wail over the comlink.   
He turned and saw Kitt sitting motionless. His scanner was oscillating frenetically. Michael   
tried to turn and run in Kitt's direction but the tank had freed itself from the wreckage of the   
wall and it turned to cut him off.  
  
Kitt couldn't respond over the comlink to tell Michael what was going on. His voice module   
was malfunctioning and now the comlink was failing as well. He tried to yell out Michael's   
name, but it was too late. He couldn't say anything and he was paralyzed.   
  
***  
  
"Bonnie, something's wrong." Gates pushed through the semi's door. "Kitt's backup program   
started to download over the link and then everything just shut down."  
  
Bonnie turned to the computer in front of her and tried to contact them. There was no   
response. She tried again to establish a more direct link to Kitt without the audio or video. Still   
nothing. "Shit. Something's really wrong. Kitt checked in about 20 minutes ago at one of the   
warehouses." She picked up the phone and dialed Devon's extension. "Devon, something's   
wrong with Kitt. Gates and I are going to go pick them up."  
  
"Keep me informed," Devon replied. The terse response couldn't hide the fear in his voice.  
  
"I will."  
  
***  
  
The tank turned and charged at Michael again. This time, all Michael could do was try to jump   
up the sloped front of the T72. He was able to catch a handhold and pull himself up as the   
vehicle turned wildly, kicking up a spray of dirt. Michael struggled to get his footing and move   
toward the hatch. Just as he managed to get into a half-standing position, the gun turret swung   
around sharply and the barrel knocked him off the side of the tank. He hit the ground, rolled   
away from the moving tracks, and then lay gasping for air. He had gotten the wind knocked out   
of him and had probably cracked a rib or two. After what seemed like ages, he was able to   
suck in a few breaths and roll onto his side. The tank crashed into the wall of the little building,   
sending splintered wood flying. It was caught against a twisted metal support and was working   
to free itself. Michael pulled himself to his feet and started moving toward Kitt, who was sitting   
motionless except for the racing scanner.  
  
"Kitt, are you okay? Kitt! Kitt, answer me," he yelled into his comlink. The red light of Kitt's   
scanner sped up even more. Two of the lights had gone out completely, causing the scanner to   
skip madly. Kitt still couldn't get a handle on what was happening to his systems. There was   
nothing left for him to do but perform an emergency shutdown, but somehow he had to protect   
Michael. He tried his voice module again, but could only make garbled noises. There was so   
much he wanted to say, but it was too late.  
  
The red scanner suddenly went dark. It didn't fade away; it blinked out in the middle of its tack   
and stayed dark.  
  
"KITT!" Michael screamed against the pain in his chest. He was still at least 20 feet from his   
partner. The T72 managed to free itself and turned its turret toward Michael. There was a   
clink of metal as the shell dropped into the barrel and the gun fired. The building next to   
Michael exploded along with a pile of scrap metal. The force of the explosion threw Michael   
off his feet and he landed hard on his right shoulder. Debris from the shack rained down on him   
and a hunk of twisted metal knocked him unconscious.  
  
The tank turned toward Kitt. It pulled up to the car's prow and lowered its gun until it was   
pointed directly into the windshield. It held its position there for several seconds, then swiveled   
the turret and backed away. It made its way around to the rail line in back where a ramp had   
been lowered from a waiting boxcar. The tank pulled up into position and a tarp dropped,   
completely obscuring it from view.  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Devon had been waiting in his office for word on Michael and Kitt. It seemed that all he did   
was send them out on dangerous missions and nervously await their return. He had been   
uncharacteristically fidgeting and tapping a pencil along with each tick of the antique clock in the   
corner. His office had seemed to be shrinking and he had just decided to try to clear his head   
with a walk, when the call came. Now he was waiting for word about Michael's condition, this   
time from a blue vinyl chair in the hospital waiting room.   
  
When he arrived at the hospital, Bonnie was angry and frightened. She told him that Michael   
was unconscious and injured and that Kitt was completely shut down. Gates had taken Kitt   
back to the Foundation and she had come to the hospital with Michael. Then, to Devon's   
dismay, she turned away from him to sit by herself near a window and stopped talking. Feeling   
guilty, Devon sat in one of the hideous blue chairs. This was entirely his fault. How could he   
have posted all of Kitt's current vulnerabilities on an unsecured system? Kitt was deactivated   
and it was too much for him to hope that this attack was sheer coincidence. It was likely that he   
was directly responsible for Michael's injuries, as well.  
  
Bonnie was feeling guilty, herself. She looked over to where Devon was sitting and felt horrible.   
It looked like he hadn't slept in a week and there was nothing but concern for Michael and Kitt   
on his face. She hated it when she let her temper get the best of her, especially when it hurt the   
people she loved. After all, she was as much to blame for things as Devon. She never should   
have let them go, knowing that Kitt was vulnerable to attack. She sighed deeply and   
abandoned her spot by the window. She sat down in the chair next to Devon's and leaned her   
head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said simply.  
  
While he wasn't about to stop berating himself, Devon appreciated the contact. At least she   
wasn't angry anymore, or had decided to shelve it for the time being.  
  
The doctor came out to see them twenty minutes later. "Mr. Knight has a concussion, bruised   
ribs and a separated shoulder. We'll bandage the ribs and put his arm in a sling. Since he was   
unconscious for so long, we'd like to keep an eye on him overnight to be sure the concussion   
isn't serious."  
  
They both thanked the doctor and asked when they could see Michael.  
  
"You can stop in for a couple minutes, but he's on some heavy duty pain medication. He's not   
really aware of his surroundings."  
  
They peeked into the room where Michael was dozing. Devon was amazed at how fragile he   
looked. It reminded him of the time that Michael had been shot. Only this time it was most   
likely his fault that Michael was in his current state. They decided not to disturb him and quietly   
shut the door on their way out.  
  
"Devon, I'm going to go back to the Foundation and see how Kitt's doing. If someone really   
did download his program, we need to find that out right away."  
  
"Of course. I'll stay here in case there's any change in Michael's condition."  
  
Bonnie hugged him. She was feeling better, knowing that Michael wasn't hurt as badly as it first   
seemed. "It'll be all right. It always is."  
  
***  
  
They had trucked Kitt to his garage on the Foundation grounds. It was more spacious than the   
semi and was better equipped. Gates had assembled several technicians who were going over   
the readings they were getting from the silent car.  
  
Bonnie strode in and surveyed the scene. The appropriate diagnostic cables were hooked up   
under the engine and several of the engineers were hunched over computers, checking readouts.   
She was amazed at how quickly they could get a crew together to handle an emergency. She   
saw a frustrated-looking Gates, staring at one of the laptops. She headed in his direction.  
  
"What's the story?" Bonnie asked.  
  
"I wish I knew. I was about to run some really low-level diagnostics. I can't get anything from   
him. The self-diagnostic program doesn't seem to be running. We can't talk directly to the   
CPU so everyone is trying to poll the individual subsystems. It looks like the stand-alone   
modules, like the turbo burst circuitry, are functional but everything housed in the CPU is   
hosed."  
  
"Has anyone checked his memory modules?" she asked.  
  
"There isn't anything in them. Completely blank," Gates replied.  
  
"And his emergency backup module?"  
  
"We can't seem to get any info out of it either."  
  
"Lets see if we can use the emulator program to interface with his CPU." Bonnie picked up an   
unused laptop and set it on the edge of the car under the open hood. She hooked up a cable   
and pod to a connector on the side of the CPU casing. The casing, a matte black box the size   
of a VCR, had been pulled free of its bay and was sitting on the engine. Bonnie frowned when   
the program began running and immediately spit out an error. She ran a hand through her hair   
and turned back to Gates. "Let's get him to the lab. Have everyone else continue checking the   
external systems and have Jim try to figure out what's up with the backup module."  
  
Bonnie undid the last of the connections between the systems in the car and the CPU. Then she   
gently lifted the CPU completely free and held it tightly as she headed out of the garage towards   
the lab. She always handled Kitt's CPU as if it were delicate crystal, even though she knew it   
wasn't necessary. The components had been hardened to survive the very rough landings   
associated with turbo burst, but she didn't want to be responsible for dropping him. She knew   
she was holding more in her hands than hardened components.  
  
When she got to the lab, she hooked Kitt up to an analyzer and spent several minutes setting up   
the test equipment. Gates came and joined her at the workbench.  
  
"What's it saying?"  
  
"I'm not ready to believe it, but according to the diagnostics code, there isn't anything in his   
CPU. It looks like the code's gone."  
  
"So someone did download him."  
  
"Like I said, I'm not ready to believe it, but yes, that's what it looks like. I'm going to keep   
working on his CPU. I assume that since the computer went down while Kitt was trying to   
backup over the link, that the file was corrupted."  
  
"Yes. The computer was hit with a virus that was downloaded along with the first segment of   
his program."  
  
"Make sure Jim keeps working on the onboard backup module, then."  
  
"Do you really want to use the backup code, given the circumstances?"  
  
"No, but we may not have a choice. Whoever did this really knew what they were doing."  
  
Gates headed back to the garage to supervise and left Bonnie alone with Kitt. She continued   
taking readings on his CPU. Everything continued to point to the possibility that someone had   
stolen his program. There didn't appear to be anything left on the CPU, at all. She worked for   
an hour before getting discouraged. Hoping they were having better luck, Bonnie decided to   
check in with Gates and Jim. She picked up the phone and called down to the garage.  
  
"Gates, any progress with his backup module?"   
  
"No. And funny you should ask because Jim just removed it from its casing and hooked it up to   
the PC platform. Then it just took everything down. It's got a nasty little virus running on it."  
  
"Great. Any more cheery news? I don't think there's anything left on the CPU. I'll bring it   
back to the garage with me. Oh, and you might try giving Stephen a call and see what he has   
for new virus software. Maybe he can clean up the backup module."  
  
Bonnie hung up the phone and decided to call the hospital. Michael's condition was the same.   
She wished she could be there, but she knew he'd want her to continue helping Kitt. She got   
the nurse on duty to page Devon.  
  
"Devon, it's Bonnie."  
  
"How is Kitt?" Devon asked, weariness evident in his voice.  
  
"Not good. We're still holding out hope of getting the backup module running, though."  
  
"So his program was stolen?"  
  
"It certainly looks that way, Devon."  
  
Devon shoulders slumped. There was really nothing he could do to help. He felt powerless. If   
only he had been more cautious in the first place. "Michael's condition hasn't changed.   
They've been waking him up regularly to make sure he doesn't slip into a coma, but they really   
don't think there's cause for alarm."  
  
"Okay. I'll let you know if we make any progress with the backup. Call if there's any news   
about Michael."  
  
"Of course." Devon hung up, feeling awful. He was fortunate that things weren't worse. His   
carelessness could have cost Michael his life, and, as it was, Kitt's program was in the wrong   
hands. He couldn't help thinking that the Foundation would be better off with someone younger   
and more capable at the helm. He was being foolish and irresponsible by hanging on.  
  
After a while, Devon's head slipped to the side as he fell asleep.   
  
***  
  
The nurse gently shook Devon awake. He was uncharacteristically rumpled and had a stiff neck   
from sleeping in the chair. Devon could see the morning light streaming in the waiting room   
window. "Mr. Knight is doing well. There weren't any complications overnight and he'll   
probably be discharged after the doctor takes a look at him."  
  
"Thank you," he said politely. Then he got his bearings and headed out to the parking lot.   
When he got into his Mercedes, he picked up the car phone and called the Foundation's limo   
driver. He arranged for someone to pick up Michael when he was discharged. Devon had   
other matters to attend to.  
  
***  
  
Everyone was surprised when Michael walked into the lab early that afternoon. Most of the   
technicians had been up all night, working. The few who hadn't been on call the night before   
had come in and taken their counterparts places that morning. Several of the techs had gone   
down to the lounge for a nap. Bonnie had worked through the night and was definitely feeling   
the effects of sleep deprivation. Everything was just that much more frustrating without sleep.  
  
She called to Michael and went to give him a very gentle hug. He had a bandage on his   
forehead and his right arm was in a sling. He winced when she put her arms around him. "Oh,   
sorry," Bonnie said, noting his pained expression. "How're you feeling?"  
  
"Like I was run over by a tank. The pain medication is pretty nice, though. How's Kitt? Is he   
okay?"  
  
"Well, not at the moment. His CPU's been wiped clean. His program was probably   
downloaded." Michael stared at her horrified. "Unfortunately, whoever stole his program, also   
infected the onboard backup module with a virus. It keeps shutting down our computers every   
time we try to get into it. We don't even know if there's really anything in the module at this   
point." She started to lead him away from the workbench area and into a small office off the   
lab. He was obviously very worried and she hated having to give him bad news. She figured   
that it was best to get away from the hustle and bustle of the lab. "He tried to initiate an   
emergency remote backup before he was shut down. We have a link and a computer   
dedicated to that purpose. Unfortunately, the download was interrupted."   
  
Bonnie gestured to a comfortable chair but Michael preferred to stand. He was getting angry.   
"Are you telling me he's gone?"  
  
"No, I wouldn't say that yet. We're still trying to get the onboard backup module working   
again. But there is the possibility that we won't be able to restore that code."  
  
"Don't you save backups of Kitt's program? I mean computers go down or have problems all   
the time. How can you not have a backup somewhere?" Michael was very frustrated. He'd   
always assumed that they kept copies of Kitt's program around, especially given how many   
times Kitt had been damaged.  
  
"Michael, he asked us not to. And if you think about it, it makes some sense. Kitt is a sentient   
being, a true artificial intelligence. He grows and changes based on the things he experiences   
and his code grows and changes with him. If we took a week-old or month-old version of his   
code and loaded it into his system with current memories, it would be very jarring for him. And,   
Michael, we didn't want to take the security risk of having tapes of his program stored   
somewhere. If his program was stolen, we might not even miss the tape if it was one of many.   
We didn't want him to be taken by someone who could get his program running and use it for   
who knows what purpose."  
  
"But that would be better than losing him entirely." Michael was choked up at the idea that his   
partner might be gone and he was trying very hard to hide it. He slumped into the chair that   
Bonnie had previously offered.   
  
"We provided him a link so that he could perform an emergency backup if he felt that something   
was wrong. And the onboard module is isolated with it's own power supply. It's built like a   
black box and his program is downloaded to it automatically every few hours. He also has the   
ability to do that out of sequence. We felt that would be enough."  
  
"But he's obviously still vulnerable. Why would you risk losing him just because you didn't   
want to keep track of a bunch of tapes?" Michael was staring out the window in the direction   
of the reflecting pool, feeling powerless to help his best friend.  
  
Bonnie sighed and sat down next to Michael. She wanted to avoid standing over him like she   
was lecturing. "We talked this over with him, Michael, and this is what he wanted. To be   
honest, I think he wants it this way because it makes him feel more human. The idea that his   
program could just be stored somewhere and reactivated really bothered him. He originally   
fought the idea of having the backup link. I think he likes the idea that his program and its   
backups reside almost entirely within the car, his body. That way he's much more in control of   
his own person."  
  
Michael didn't say anything; it was a lot to take in.  
  
"Michael, we're going to do everything we can to get him back. Some of the same people who   
test him for vulnerabilities are going to be hunting through our system for clues as to who might   
have taken him. I know you're usually the one who goes after the bad guys, but this is our   
realm. You've met Gates and there is a good friend of ours, Stephen, who's working on it, as   
well. He's excellent at looking for the fingerprints that hackers leave behind. And he's very   
devoted to Kitt. We'll find him."  
  
"Is the car drivable?"  
  
"Michael, you're in no condition to go out. Take some time and rest."  
  
"Bonnie, I'm sure the T-72 attack was related. The timing was just too perfect to be   
coincidence. If I can get out there and put the pressure on, maybe they'll tip their hand and   
we'll at least know what they want."  
  
"At least give it a couple of days. Give your body time to heal and hopefully we'll have Kitt   
back and then you can both go after them."  
  
Michael definitely didn't look convinced but there wasn't much point in pressing the issue. "On   
a different note, how'd Devon seem today?"  
  
"I haven't seen him."  
  
"Wasn't he at the hospital when you were discharged?"  
  
"No. The nurse said that he had been there all night but he left early this morning."  
  
"Maybe he left to get some sleep. He looked pretty upset last night," Bonnie said.  
  
Michael thought over the situation with Kitt. Obviously, he wasn't much help in the lab and   
looking for the T72 without Kitt probably wasn't a good idea anyway. "Maybe I should try to   
get some rest. It's hard to get any real sleep when you've got nurses waking you up every two   
hours. I'll try to catch Devon first and see how he's doing."  
  
"Let me know." Bonnie got up and walked over to the door. Wearily, she pulled it open and   
surveyed the activity in the lab. "Sleep a few winks for me. It's going to be a while."  
  
Michael squeezed her shoulder and headed out in search of Devon.  
  
***  
  
Michael woke up feeling much better after a long nap. His ribs were sore and his shoulder hurt,   
but the sleep had helped. He got up slowly and made his way into the bathroom to take   
another pain pill. He was staying in his suite at the Foundation for the moment because he   
hadn't felt like going back to his apartment. All of them had rooms to stay in when they didn't   
go home. He looked in the mirror and tried to collect his thoughts. He was really worried   
about Kitt and he was angry with whoever had stolen him. He was also feeling guilty about   
pressuring Kitt into going out in the first place. He knew it probably wouldn't have mattered,   
but maybe Bonnie and the others could have done something if he had been at the Foundation   
when it happened.  
  
Michael padded into the main room, sat down on the couch, and flipped on the TV. He wasn't   
really watching anything, but he wanted the background noise. He really missed Kitt already   
and he couldn't forget the image of Kitt's scanner blinking out. There had been nothing he   
could have done; hackers were one enemy that he just wasn't prepared to fight. He couldn't   
protect his partner from that threat. All he could do was hope that Bonnie could.  
  
After a while, Michael decided he wasn't helping matters by sitting in his room dwelling on   
things. He changed out of his sweatpants and threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt. He hadn't   
been able to find Devon before his nap, so he decided to go see if the older man was in his   
office.   
  
As usual, Michael strolled into Devon's office without knocking. Instead of seeing the familiar   
face of his friend behind the desk, there was a man in his forties sitting there. Michael's guard   
immediately went up. Given all that had gone on, seeing a stranger in Devon's office was cause   
for alarm and this guy was going through Devon's papers.   
  
"Who are you?" Michael asked.  
  
The brown haired, heavy-set man looked up and smiled. "Well, by the bandages, I'd guess you   
must be Michael Knight."  
  
Michael didn't return the smile. "That doesn't tell me who you are."  
  
The man extended his hand. "I'm Allan Thorpe." Michael held his ground and didn't offer to   
shake the outstretched hand.   
  
"What are you doing in Devon's office?"  
  
"I'm sorry, excuse me. I'm a member of the Knight Industries Board of Directors. I'm actually   
looking for Devon."  
  
Then Michael realized why the name sounded familiar. Bonnie had mentioned that Allan was   
Devon's friend from the board. "Well, obviously he's not here. Why are you hunting around in   
his desk?"  
  
"Oh, well unfortunately, as you said, he's not here and no one can find him. The board would   
like to talk to him about his resignation."  
  
Michael's anger flared. "You can't ask Devon to resign. Sure he's getting older, but he's   
capable of doing his job and no one cares about it more than he does. He's the only one who   
worked directly with Wilton Knight. The board has shown in past that they don't have Wilton's   
dream in mind when they make decisions regarding FLAG. You have no right to force him to   
resign."  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't make myself clear." Allan was a little taken aback by Michael's anger.   
"We aren't asking him to resign. He did resign. This morning. He emailed out copies of his   
resignation to all of the board members and no one has been able to get in touch with him   
since."  
  
Michael was stunned into silence. How could Devon resign? How could Devon not tell him   
first? He knew Devon probably blamed himself for what had happened, but how could he   
leave like this when they needed him? Michael sat down on the arm of a nearby couch.   
  
"We'd really like to find him to make sure there's nothing wrong. This just doesn't seem like   
Devon. Did he say anything to you? Do you have any idea where he might be?"  
  
"No. I have no idea." Michael mulled that over. He felt like he knew Devon pretty well, but   
he had no idea where Devon would go if he were upset. Really, he had no idea where Devon   
would go at all, if he weren't at the Foundation. When it came down to it, he decided that he   
really didn't know Devon as well as he should. "You know, I'm not buying this. Why would   
the board be concerned anyway? Didn't you call a special meeting to get rid of him in the first   
place?"  
  
Allan nervously picked at a piece of lint on his sleeve. "There were a couple of people who   
were jumping at the chance to force him to retire, but not the majority of us. Mr. Knight, some   
of us really do care about Devon and respect him. We wanted to find out what was going on,   
but we weren't going to force him out prematurely." Allan started to head out of Devon's   
office. "Look, if you hear anything from him, pass along the message that I'd really like to talk   
to him."  
  
Despite himself, Michael wanted to like this man. He didn't trust him, but he seemed sincerely   
worried about Devon. And Bonnie had said that he was Devon's friend. Michael relented. "If   
I hear from him I'll let him know."  
  
***   
  
Jennifer Knight was livid. Therese Stanton was actually talking about temporarily putting Allan   
Thorpe in charge of FLAG. She had heard this through the back circles and rumor mills that   
developed whenever there was a crisis. They all had their ears to the ground and every scrap of   
info was passed from one person to the next. It had kicked into high gear when they all   
received copies of Devon's resignation. Jennifer couldn't help but be excited. She was sorry   
that things hadn't been going well for Devon lately, but he had always been a thorn in her side.   
He always held the most cards because he had worked directly with her father at the beginning   
of the Foundation. She had never had as much say as she would have liked in how her father's   
dream was being administered. She wasn't really convinced that this was what he would have   
wanted.   
  
She paced around her office at the Knight estate in Nevada. Yes, she was sorry that Devon   
seemed to be slipping, but she couldn't help but be excited at the prospect of finally being able   
to shepherd her father's legacy. She felt that she was the logical choice to take over Devon's   
position. Yes, she had had her difficulties with Michael Knight, but she felt that she could even   
work with him if it meant finally calling the shots at FLAG. But now the only name being   
mentioned was Allan's. He and Devon almost always marched in lockstep on every issue. She   
was sure that if Devon had to handpick a replacement, it would be Allan.   
  
She had to remember that it looked like Allan was going to be the temporary Director of   
FLAG. She knew they would conduct a search for a permanent replacement, but being in the   
position already definitely gave Allan a leg up. She could always lodge a protest but it would   
look as if she were whining. She would just have to wait and hope there was some opportunity   
for her to show that she was the best candidate for the job. In the meantime she would fight any   
attempt to appoint Allan as the permanent director.   
  
Jennifer walked over to a picture that she had always cherished. It sat on the mantel of the gas   
fireplace she had installed in her suite. It was a picture of her family, taken up in the mountains   
when she was 11 years old. Her brother Garthe had just caught a rather large fish and they   
were standing around congratulating him. Her dad had his arms around both of them.   
Sometimes she just wished that things could be as simple as they appeared in pictures.  
  
***  
  
Michael made his way back down to the lab to get Bonnie's read on Allan Thorpe. He didn't   
like the fact that Thorpe had been going through Devon's office and he really didn't like the fact   
that he instinctively believed this man. He punched in his pass code and the door clicked open.   
When he didn't see Bonnie he started to get uncomfortable. He didn't like being around the   
other technicians because they always seemed to study him like he was a giant cockroach. He   
spotted Gates and figured he was the safest port in the storm.  
  
"Gates, do you have any idea where Bonnie is?"  
  
"Yes, but she's finally agreed to get some sleep. It would be a good idea to leave her alone for   
a while."  
  
"Got it." Michael was about to turn and head out, but he figured he'd come to ask a question   
and there was no reason he couldn't ask Gates. "Do you know Allan Thorpe?"  
  
"The board member?"   
  
Michael nodded.   
  
"Not real well. I do know that he tends to be on FLAG's side. I think he's one of the good   
guys. But other than that, no, I don't really know him."  
  
"Thanks." He turned to leave but he didn't really know what he was going to do next.  
  
"Hey, Michael. Don't worry, we've got the best people on the job. We'll get Kitt back for   
you."  
  
Michael nodded and headed out. He was touched that the technicians were working hard to   
help Kitt, but he was already feeling lonely. Two of the most important people in his life were   
missing and all the compassion in world couldn't make that emptiness go away.  
  
***  
  
Bonnie was feeling somewhat better after her nap. It certainly didn't take the place of a good   
night's sleep, but it was better than nothing. She was still trying to clear the cobwebs from her   
head when she sat down at her computer. She glanced down and saw a sealed envelope on the   
keyboard, addressed to both her and Michael, in Devon's handwriting. The letter inside was   
handwritten as well.  
  
Michael and Bonnie,  
  
I 'm sorry that I was unable to speak to you both in person. I've decided to retire and have tendered my   
resignation to the board. I feel as though my actions of late have been hindering our cause. I feel it would   
irresponsible to carry on in this matter. I hope you understand and wish you both the best of luck. I'm   
sorry for any damage I've caused.  
  
Sincerely,  
Devon  
  
Bonnie took the letter and hurried off to find Michael.  
  
***  
  
Allan Thorpe pulled up outside FLAG Headquarters for the second time that day. He sat back   
in his car and thought for a minute. He wasn't looking forward to this. He had just received   
word from Therese Stanton that she had decided to make him Acting Director of FLAG. As   
chairperson, she had the authority to make that decision, but he knew that several board   
members weren't going to be happy about it, among them Jennifer Knight. And he was afraid   
he hadn't made a good first impression with Michael Knight yesterday. It was possible that   
Knight was just upset about finding him in Devon's office, but he wasn't so sure. He   
remembered the time Knight had attended the board meeting, when Jennifer had been trying to   
shut down FLAG. The man was a coiled spring. He didn't seem like the type to rationally and   
reasonably work out a problem. He seemed more likely to rush in headfirst without a strategy.   
Allan wished he knew how Devon had managed to get along with him. Allan was more the   
reasoning type, despite his temper, and he had a feeling they were going to butt heads a lot in   
the next few days.   
  
With only a few wrong turns, Allan managed to find his way down to the lab. Devon had given   
him a tour of the facilities recently and Allan had a good sense of direction. He smiled at Knight   
Industries' efficiency when he punched in the pass code he had just received that afternoon and   
it granted him access to the lab. He scanned the room, looking for either Knight or Dr.   
Barstow. He found them both. She was sitting at a computer, typing. Her long brown hair was   
pulled back in a ponytail and she looked tired. Knight had draped his long limbs over a couch   
in a comfortable corner of the lab. He got up when he saw Allan approaching.  
  
"Mr. Knight, do you have a few minutes?" Allan asked.  
  
Michael ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't accomplishing much just sitting around,   
anyway. "Yeah, sure."  
  
"I know she's busy, but do you think Dr. Barstow might be able to join us as well?"  
  
Michael eyed Allan suspiciously. He didn't like the sound of that. He was pretty sure he knew   
what this was about. "Probably."  
  
Michael walked over to where Bonnie was sitting and motioned for her to follow him. The   
three of them left the lab and walked down the hallway a bit. Bonnie crossed her arms and   
leaned up against the beige and black marbleized wall. Michael had both hands in his jacket   
pockets.  
  
"What's up, Allan?" Bonnie was the first to ask.  
  
"Look, I know this is probably horrible timing and I'm sure you both have plenty of other things   
to deal with, but I wanted to tell you that I've been asked to temporarily replace Devon. A   
search is being conducted for a permanent director."  
  
Michael sighed and looked away. "So that's it. You're just going to replace him and go on?"  
  
"Right now we really don't have a choice. Someone has to run the show and Devon did turn in   
his resignation. Unless he can be found soon, I don't think you're going to find anyone on the   
board willing to hold the position open for him." Allan noted the hostile expressions on both of   
their faces. "Look, just think of me as a figurehead for now. I'm not going to be making any   
major changes. I'm really just here to oversee things and I'll try not to get in your way. If   
there's anything you need, let me know and I'll try to get it for you." He was rewarded with   
more blank stares. "Really. I know you've had reason to distrust the board in the past, but I'm   
here to help things, not hurt them. And if Devon can be found and he's willing to come back,   
I'm certainly not going to stand in his way."  
  
Bonnie was the first to speak. "Fine. I need authorization to give a programmer outside of   
Knight Industries full access to our computer systems. I've had problems getting that past   
security. His name is Stephen Falken. We need him to help us find out who hacked into Kitt's   
systems. Can you make that happen?"  
  
Allan recognized that Dr. Barstow was challenging him. Obviously, he was going to have to   
give them time. He was happy to have something to do, anyway. "I'll get right on that. If you   
need anything else, I'll be in the office next to Devon's." He turned to head that direction and   
noted that neither one of them moved while he was in sight.  
  
Bonnie looked at Michael. "Looks like they didn't waste any time worrying about Devon.   
'Hey, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.'"  
  
"Did you expect anything different? I mean the board isn't exactly in the FLAG fan club,   
Bonnie."  
  
"I know, but you can always hope. Any luck tracking him down?"   
  
"No. I really don't know where to look. I wish I had some clue where he would go," Michael   
said.  
  
"Me, too. I feel like I really don't know him and I owe him more than this. There's just been   
too much going on with Kitt and I haven't had time to do anything to help Devon." Bonnie   
looked past Michael and seemed to be intently studying the black lines in the wall.  
  
"I know what you mean. I'll keep trying. I wish I could help you with Kitt, though."  
  
"We're doing what we can, Michael. Hopefully, Allan will be able to get Stephen access. If   
anyone can find Kitt, it'll be Stephen."  
  
"Is this guy really that good? And is he really trustworthy? I mean, if he's that good, couldn't   
he have been responsible?" Michael asked.  
  
"He's the best hacker I know, which also makes him the best person to track a hacker."   
Bonnie laughed to herself. "And he's trustworthy," she said, with a twinkle in her eyes. "He   
wouldn't try anything with Kitt because he knows he'd have to answer to me."  
  
"The Dragonlady cometh?"  
  
"Breathing fire would be nothing in comparison." She pushed herself up from the wall and   
headed back to the lab. Michael watched her go and wondered who this Stephen guy was.  
  
***  
  
Bonnie tried to go back to coding, but her mind kept wandering. Finally she decided she just   
needed a break so she opened her mailbox to check her email. There was a message listed but   
the sender field was empty. She ran the Foundation's newly updated anti-virus software and it   
came up clean. She opened the message and sat back stunned, noting that all identifying   
information had been masked. She turned and looked down the row of lab benches. "Gates,   
did you send this?"  
  
"Send what?" He looked up from his computer.  
  
"If you did, it's really not funny."  
  
"I haven't sent you anything today. What is it?"  
  
As Gates walked over to read over her shoulder, Bonnie printed the email and picked up the   
phone to call Michael.  
  
***  
  
Michael and Bonnie met in the hallway outside the lab.   
  
"What's up?" Michael asked and Bonnie handed him the printout.  
  
WE HAVE THE CODE YOU CALL KITT. WE WILL RETURN IT IN EXCHANGE FOR $10 MILLION. THE   
DETAILS OF THE EXCHANGE WILL BE FORTHCOMING.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me. Who sends a ransom note on computer code?" Michael   
asked.  
  
Bonnie turned and shrugged her shoulders in an exaggerated way. "You've got me.   
Someone's having a grand old time messing with our heads. We're still trying to get Kitt's   
backup module cleaned up after the virus they launched in it. I'm tired of being one step behind   
these people."  
  
At that point Allan turned the corner at the end of the hallway. He headed toward the pair and   
noticed that they both stopped talking. "Dr. Barstow, I just got off the phone with security.   
They've granted your friend, Dr. Falken, access to the system."  
  
"Great. Thanks, Allan." She didn't meet his gaze and looked off at what must have been a   
fascinating spot on the floor.  
  
Meanwhile, Michael was staring at the wall above Bonnie's head. He didn't want to tell Allan   
what was going on. He thought they'd probably have more freedom if Allan weren't involved.   
But at the same time, the man had the resources of the board behind him. They probably   
couldn't pull off a fake exchange of $10 million without his help.  
  
"What's up?" Allan asked looking at Michael first and then Bonnie. When neither one of them   
said anything, he continued, trying to be patient. "Look, I realize you don't want me here right   
now. I'll willing to try to stay out of your way as much as possible, but I'd at least like to know   
what's going on."  
  
Michael, who had been holding the printout, handed it to Allan without a word. Allan read the   
note and handed it back. "Why don't we talk about this in my office."  
  
Allan turned and headed up the hallway. Michael gestured for Bonnie to go ahead of him. "So   
much for him staying out of the way," he whispered as she passed by.  
  
***  
  
Michael was glad that Allan had taken the smaller office next to Devon's. He wasn't ready to   
see someone clearing out Devon's things. This smaller office was furnished in a more modern   
style than Devon's office. There were two tan leather armchairs and a matching couch around a   
glass coffee table. The desk was in front of the windows as in Devon's office, but this room   
didn't have French doors. There was a computer table that formed an L shape with the desk.   
Allan sat in one of the armchairs and Bonnie sat on the couch. Michael leaned against the arm   
of the couch. There were a couple of boxes next to the desk that presumably held some of   
Allan's things.   
  
"Any idea if this is real?" Allan asked gesturing toward the printout.  
  
"It didn't come from anyone here. I haven't started tracing it yet but I'm guessing I'm not going   
to get very far. It's probably been bounced through a couple dozen countries and several   
servers that allow for anonymous emails."  
  
"How are we going to find these guys? They could be anywhere." Michael asked.  
  
"We keep trying to trace them."  
  
"You've been at this for how long now? You still haven't managed to find them," Michael said.   
Bonnie shot him a dark look but he didn't care. He was sick of sitting around waiting. It was   
his partner out there and he wanted to do something. "Why don't we try to flush them out when   
they ask to make this exchange?"  
  
"It's a possibility, but I'm betting they'll want to do some sort of online exchange. They've   
been successful at hiding online and I doubt they're going to want to get close to us," Bonnie   
said.  
  
"Look all they have is Kitt's code right? We still have the car. You must have backup copies   
of the code, right? Why can't we go with the backup code and then just go after these guys?"   
Allan asked Bonnie.  
  
Bonnie looked from Michael to Allan and sighed. "We haven't been able to restore the backup   
code. It was hit with a virus."  
  
"Isn't there a network backup tape or something?" Allan asked, echoing Michael's earlier   
question.  
  
"It's a long story and I really don't want to go into it right now." Bonnie was getting defensive.   
"Suffice to say that no, if we can't restore the files, we don't have a backup copy. But really   
there's another issue to take into account here. Even if we could use backup code, I'm not sure   
that we should."  
  
Michael looked confused. "Why not?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"These people, whoever they are, seem to have a bit of computer savvy. Let's just say that we   
can load the code and then you and Kitt go off and look for them. Let's say you can't catch up   
with them quickly. What if they get their copy of Kitt running?" She paused and when neither   
of the men said anything she continued. "Let me be more blunt. What version of Kitt are you   
going to shut down, if they're both running? They'll be identical up until the point where the   
code was copied. After that, the Kitt with us would go on like he has been and the version they   
had would be a prisoner. They would grow in different ways so they would become unique   
individuals. Both would be Kitt and we only have one car. If you catch up to them and they   
have his code running, which Kitt are we going to shut down? I don't want to be the person   
making that decision."  
  
"How easy would it be for them to get his code running?" Michael asked.  
  
"Not easy. I think we have at least a month and that would really be pushing it. He has a lot of   
custom hardware that would have to be emulated for the code to run properly. We have a way   
of doing it, to allow us to run him outside of his CPU if we have problems, but it took a while to   
develop," Bonnie continued. "It requires a couple of printed circuit boards. It's not something   
they could just download."  
  
"So we would have at least a month to nail these guys before we would have to worry about the   
two-Kitts situation. I think we'd have a better chance of getting them if Kitt and I could work   
on this together. There's no reason to think we couldn't find them in time."  
  
Bonnie shook her head. "These aren't the criminals you usually go after, Michael. It takes the   
FBI and other national agencies months to catch hackers, if they catch them at all. I don't think   
we should go to a backup unless we know where Kitt's code is."  
  
"What are we going to do then? Go after these guys indefinitely and never use a backup   
because they might someday get his code running? How about we deal with that if it comes up.   
There's no reason not load a backup as soon as possible and go after these guys." Michael   
stood up and started pacing.  
  
"Michael, I miss him too but we can't just rush into this without thinking about how this would   
affect Kitt. Imagine how horrible he would feel if his twin of sorts was shut down."  
  
"It's better to deal with two Kitts than no Kitts." Michael seethed.  
  
Allan stepped in to mediate, completely unaware that this was the role that Devon normally   
played. "All right, let's not jump down each other's throats. Bonnie, you said you don't have   
backup code right now anyway, so there's no point in arguing about it. Just keep doing what   
your doing and hopefully we'll get these guys."  
  
"Fine," Michael said and stalked out of the room. Bonnie got up off the couch and headed   
toward the door. As an afterthought she turned back to Allan. "We'll let you know if we get   
anywhere, either with finding him, or getting backup code ready."  
  
"Do you and Michael always get along this well?"  
  
Bonnie smiled, mostly to herself, shook her head, and walked out the door without replying.  
  
***  
  
Michael decided to go running in order to work off some of his anger. He hadn't meant to yell   
but he was tired of sitting around and waiting for something to do. He hadn't had any luck   
finding Devon and all his research – not really his forte anyway – into Belharbor Industries had   
been useless. There was nothing to find.   
  
He needed to feel like he was helping in some way. He was frustrated, but Bonnie was right;   
these weren't the criminals he was used to fighting. They had slipped in and managed to take   
Kitt from him without even having to be in the same state.   
  
Michael was jogging down one of the paths that ran behind the Foundation building. The paths   
weren't as long as he'd have liked, but they were well maintained and there were enough loops   
that he could get in a descent jog. He was following his usual path without really thinking about   
it. Left here, right here, another left.   
  
He had never thought of the possibility that Bonnie had brought up. It seemed natural since Kitt   
was a computer, but he had stopped thinking of Kitt in those terms years ago. What if they got   
into the situation where there were two Kitts? There had to be some way that they could keep   
both programs running. It didn't have to be a case of one being put back into the CPU and the   
other being shut down completely. They could make another car or something. But then   
Michael would have to choose which one he would work with and that wouldn't be fun either.   
And he had no doubt that two Kitts would not get along no matter what common experiences   
they had to draw on. That idea brought a smile to his face and he thought that, in fairness, he   
probably wouldn't get along with a clone of himself either.   
  
Michael ran along a stream that cut through the far end of the estate. It was far enough away   
from the buildings that he didn't usually meet up with anyone else back here. He wondered   
how they could ever be sure that Kitt's program hadn't been copied several times over. Even if   
they did catch the guys, they would have to turn every computer upside down. And even that   
wouldn't be much reassurance. Hopefully whoever had done this would be put away where   
they couldn't do anything even if they did have a copy.   
  
Michael's ribs started to hurt so he slowed to a walk while trying to decide if he should   
apologize to Bonnie for getting angry earlier. He probably should, but they basically had an   
unspoken agreement to put things like that behind them and go on. Bonnie never seemed to   
take their disagreements personally and he certainly didn't. But he really shouldn't have laid into   
her like that since she was overworked and just as worried about Kitt and Devon as he was.   
Michael's family was disintegrating and he didn't really know how to stop it. Hopefully, Devon   
would be in touch soon because he really missed the older man's guidance. Devon had an   
uncanny ability to tell him to stop being an idiot without actually saying so. As much as he often   
bristled at Devon's advice, he usually found something in it he could use. They all worked so   
well together as a team and he didn't want to see that change. Allan seemed like a nice enough   
guy, and he probably had some pull with the board, but he just wasn't Devon.  
  
Michael turned up a path, moving on autopilot. He walked past the reflecting pool and headed   
toward the back veranda. He planned on heading down to the lab after he got cleaned up.   
There was something else that had been tugging at the back of his mind and he wanted to talk to   
Bonnie about it.  
  
***  
  
Michael was a bit hesitant as he entered the lab. His hair was still wet from the shower and his   
shoulder was sore from the exercise. Bonnie was sitting at the same computer bench where she   
had been sitting for the last few days. Michael paused to look at all the gadgetry that littered the   
benches. Most of the equipment was computers but there were cables, instruments,   
connectors, and tools scattered around with no apparent rhyme or reason. Some were   
arranged in precarious looking towers with thick cables snaking between instruments and power   
cords running to a strip along the back of the bench. It was really amazing . . . and a total mess.   
Michael wondered how Bonnie functioned in all the chaos since she kept the semi in precise,   
military-style order. "Is this the closet where you stuff all the equipment so the semi looks   
clean?"  
  
Bonnie looked up and scanned the lab like she hadn't really seen it in a long time. "Hmm, well   
some engineers are better at putting their toys away than others," she joked.   
  
"Look, I'm sorry I yelled earlier, I was just frustrated. I didn't mean to take it out on you."  
  
Bonnie waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. No need to apologize. We've all got   
a lot on our minds right now." With a twinge of guilt, she thought about how she had snubbed   
Devon at the hospital.  
  
"Any more email from our would-be extortionist?"  
  
"No, not yet," Bonnie replied.  
  
"Do you have a minute? There's something I've been thinking about and I didn't want to bring   
it up around Allan."   
  
"Sure." She got up and started heading toward her office.  
  
"Actually, I was thinking we could take a walk outside."  
  
Bonnie looked at him with a hint of suspicion and headed toward the door.  
  
Together they walked behind the Foundation building, along the reflecting pool. It was a typical   
Los Angeles day, warm but a bit windier than usual. Michael led them to the far edge of the   
pool and took a seat on the ornate concrete edge. Bonnie sat down sideways on the edge,   
facing him. She had one leg tucked under her and the other hanging over the edge of the   
concrete. "What's up?" she asked.  
  
"I've been thinking about how all the cards seem to be stacked against us. It's like Murphy's   
Law times ten. First Devon accidentally puts a sensitive report where others can see it. Then   
the wrong people see it, on the one day that it was up. Then those same people happen to be   
able to make use of the report to steal Kitt, and they happen to have some idea of the   
importance of what they've stolen."  
  
"And it just seems like there are too many coincidences for this to be an outside job. I've been   
thinking the same thing, Michael. And I can go you one better. How did they know to email   
me with the ransom note? Devon is FLAG's public figure and from a ransom perspective, the   
one who would have to agree to pay it. Why would they email me unless they knew Devon   
was gone? Either they've really studied up on how we run things . . ."  
  
"Or this is someone who knows us," Michael finished.  
  
Bonnie nodded woefully.  
  
"I think for the time being, we should be careful about what we tell Allan," Michael suggested.   
"He did appear in the middle of all of this."  
  
"Okay. I'll buy that."  
  
"Any progress?"  
  
"Well, I've got the security patches finished. I can safely say that no one will be able to break   
into Kitt's systems like this again, assuming I get the chance to implement them." Bonnie stared   
at the water in the reflecting pool. The breeze was strong enough to cause cats paws on its   
surface. She was reminded of the mountain lakes outside of San Francisco where she spent her   
summers as a kid.   
  
"Cheer up, we'll get him back." Michael patted her knee.  
  
"As long as one of us is playing the part of the optimist and we don't both go spiraling into   
depression, we ought to be okay, huh."  
  
Michael laughed and stood up. "Come on. I'm not prone to spiraling into depression. Whirling   
off into angry tirades, yes. Spiraling into depression, no." He held out his hand to pull her up   
and they headed back to the building.  
  
***  
  
Just as Bonnie was getting back to her bench, the phone rang. She picked it up and, with a   
weary voice, said hello.  
  
"Well hello, sunshine," said the voice on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Hi, Stephen. More like storm clouds right now, but how are you?"  
  
"I'm doing all right. I've got some news about who's been in the system over there."  
  
"Really, what did you find?" Bonnie perked up a bit. It would be good to finally have   
something to go on.  
  
"I think you should call me back. From somewhere else."  
  
Bonnie sighed. So she and Michael had been on the right track. It was most likely someone   
within the Foundation. "Give me half an hour. I'll head home and call you from there."  
  
"Be careful, okay?" Stephen said.  
  
"I will. Talk to you soon."   
  
Bonnie hung up the phone. She could use a little time away from the Foundation anyway. She   
toyed with the idea of taking Kitt's shell instead of her own car. It hadn't been moved since it   
had been trucked back to the garage after the T72 attack. The car was drivable and some of   
the mechanical functions were even usable, although things like turbo boost weren't very   
accurate without targeting help from Kitt's CPU.   
  
Bonnie walked out to the garage. One of the car's technicians had thoughtfully cleaned it up. It   
sat spotless and gleaming in the low light of the garage. Bonnie walked over to the driver's side   
door, trailing her hand along the cool metal. She decided she'd better leave a note in case   
someone came in and found the car missing. That would start a flurry of panic that she didn't   
want to be responsible for. After leaving a note, she hit the button to open the garage door, and   
climbed into the car. The dash was disconcertingly dark and seemed somewhat menacing   
without Kitt's familiar voice to say hello.  
  
Bonnie backed the car out of the garage and headed off the Foundation's property. That was   
disconcerting as well. She was used to letting Kitt drive.   
  
In the early days, Bonnie and Kitt had gone out for drives together quite often. Whenever   
Michael and Kitt were close by, Kitt would wander back to the Foundation or to the semi when   
Michael was asleep. Oftentimes Bonnie was up working anyway, especially if they were on a   
case or had just completed one. If they were in Southern California, she and Kitt would go   
driving in the desert. They had found a great spot where there was a long flat valley surrounded   
by the craggy, treeless hills typical of the Mojave. Bonnie loved the desert's harsh beauty. She   
would open the T-tops and breathe in the desert air. Kitt would make a token complaint about   
all the sand that was getting into his systems. Sometimes they would cruise up and down the   
valley. Other times they would sit and count lizards and scorpions. Bonnie was amazed at the   
life that survived in the desert. The creatures there took what they could from their harsh   
conditions and somehow found enough to keep going.   
  
In the early days, those late night jaunts helped to ease the transition. Michael wasn't exactly   
what Kitt had expected and he just needed to be around someone who treated him like a   
person and not some new novelty gadget. Frankly, Bonnie needed it herself. She had been   
used to being the main person in Kitt's life; the one he relied on. When Michael started working   
with him, she was jealous of the fact that suddenly, he was the one who spent the most time with   
Kitt. Knowing that Kitt still needed her had been reassuring. Over time, it became more of a   
ritual than a necessity. She'd stay up and wait for him if she thought he needed to talk. She   
knew Kitt was careful never to leave if he thought Michael might need him for any reason. And   
in all the time that they had been doing it, Michael still didn't know.   
  
It had been a long time since they had gone out to the desert. Bonnie made a mental note that   
when things got back to normal, she would see if Kitt wanted to go for a drive. She wanted to   
tell him how much she missed him and how much she loved him.  
  
Okay, Bonnie thought, this was definitely not helping her mood. She tried to think about   
something else but couldn't. She pulled the black T-top into a spot in front of her apartment   
building and stared down at the darkened dash once more before heading inside to call   
Stephen.  
  
***  
  
"Okay, what did you find?" Bonnie asked, holding the phone while getting out bread to make a   
sandwich.  
  
"Someone's been all through your system. I've counted at least twenty times over the last   
month and a half when the same person has hacked into the system. He or she's been reading   
email, altering files, deleting files, and causing general chaos. The person in question is pretty   
computer savvy, but not enough to hide the evidence. He's leaving a path a mile wide when   
accessing things."  
  
"Any luck in locating our mysterious friend?" Bonnie was pulling vegetables out of the fridge to   
add to her sandwich.  
  
"Ah, now that's an interesting question. It seems our hacker is accessing the system through the   
server for the Knight estate in Nevada."  
  
"A board member, or one of the support staff," Bonnie surmised.  
  
"Which brings me to the most interesting part of all of this. The majority of the break-ins   
targeted the files of one person."  
  
Bonnie, who had been in the process of slicing a tomato, stopped as the knife made one last   
thunk against the wooden cutting board. "Devon."  
  
"Yup. Often times he wasn't getting emails that were marked read or they were altered first."  
  
"That explains some of his lapses lately but it doesn't explain the report or the donation check.   
The report had to be uploaded from a disk that I gave him and obviously the check was   
something he was given directly, too."  
  
"Did any of the board members have access to the report? His account was hacked into the   
morning the report was accidentally posted." Stephen asked.  
  
"Now that you mention it, they can request anything they'd like from us, really. Some of them   
like to see everything, and some of them only bother us if there's an issue. I think five or six of   
them would have requested a copy of the report." Bonnie replied.  
  
"And the culprit could have posted it from Devon's account."  
  
"And the fund raiser was a big event so most of the board members attended. It's frightening,   
but maybe one of them stole the check from Devon."  
  
"Or even if he did lose the check, that by itself that isn't enough to start suspecting the onset of   
dementia," Stephen said.  
  
Bonnie sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last week. "We've got to find a   
way to get in touch with him, to let him know."  
  
"Do you really think it's bothering him?"  
  
"Yes, Stephen. He resigned with nothing but a short note and he hasn't been heard from since.   
I know he feels responsible for what happened to Kitt." Bonnie hadn't been able to think about   
Devon much since he disappeared, but she was really worried. It was a relief there wasn't   
anything wrong with him, but she wished there was a way to tell him that. Devon was so   
important to all of them. He kept them grounded and looked out for them. Bonnie typically   
spent a lot of time with him in the semi and found she missed his company. Devon always knew   
how to reassure her and he was a good sounding board for talking through a problem – even   
when he didn't understand the technical details. Bonnie felt herself choking up and tried to think   
of something else. Now was not the time.  
  
"Do you guys have any idea where to look for him?"  
  
Bonnie looked up at the ceiling and then squeezed her eyes shut. "No."  
  
Stephen picked up on the shake in her voice. "Hey, kiddo, he'll be okay. Devon's not the type   
to just desert people. He'll be back in touch. Just give him time."  
  
Eager to change the subject, Bonnie asked, "Did you find out anything else about our   
mysterious hacker friend on the board?"  
  
"Actually, yes, but this doesn't make things any easier."  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"It seems you've got two hackers."  
  
"Great. Our firewalls seem to be paper thin these days."  
  
"Well the one on the board had some access to begin with, which would've made things easier.   
And Hacker #2 is a lot better at it. The only reason that I didn't miss him was because Hacker   
#1 wasn't in the system when Kitt's program was stolen. After a lot of hunting, I finally found   
evidence that another, more discreet, intruder was in the system that day. I haven't been able to   
track that one yet. I'll keep working on it though."  
  
"Has Hacker #2 been in and out of the system a lot? I mean, it would be quite a find for him if   
he just happen to be on the system when the report was posted."  
  
"Actually he wasn't. I double-checked that. He wasn't on the system when the report was   
posted and I can't find any trace of him before the theft."  
  
"So they're working together," Bonnie finished.  
  
"Yup. And it was the second one who sent you the little love letter via email."  
  
"And you haven't been able to track him."  
  
"No, but if you actually get details about this supposed ransom, we may be able to set a trap for   
him."  
  
"I'll call you if we get anything more. I think it was just sent to mess with us, though. They   
seem to be getting a kick out of making us chase our tails," Bonnie said.  
  
"That's one possibility. The other is a little more insidious. Maybe they're trying to keep you   
busy while they accomplish something else."  
  
"That's a good point. I wish we knew what they were up to."  
  
"It's just a thought. I'll keep at it and let you know if I find anything else. But meanwhile, I'd   
be on the lookout for suspicious board members," Stephen added. "And if you need someone   
to talk to, you know my number."  
  
"Thanks, Stephen. I'll probably call you when this is all over and have a complete breakdown."  
  
"Anytime. You take care."  
  
"You too." Bonnie hung up the phone, feeling alone. She definitely regretted taking Kitt's shell.   
She didn't want to drive back staring at that dark dash.  
  
***  
  
Kitt was immediately aware that he couldn't sense anything and there weren't any signals   
coming in on the normal channels. He fought back the panic he normally felt when Bonnie   
started his program with the CPU separated from the rest of his systems. Disturbed by the   
disorientation and the lack of input, Kitt tried to send Bonnie the message that he was up and   
running. To his surprise, the serial communications link wasn't connected. Usually Bonnie was   
very good about having the link established before running his program so that he could at least   
talk to them. He had explained to her in the past how disorienting it was not to have any input,   
and she seemed to understand. Kitt felt a little of the panic creeping back. He was lost in a   
black box with no way to communicate.   
  
Maybe there was a problem with the communications link and Bonnie was working on a way to   
repair it. Hoping that she would hurry, Kitt decided to scan his memory banks to see when the   
serial link had been damaged. In doing so, he discovered that he was running on the emulation   
board and not on his own CPU. His memories were accessed differently depending on where   
his program was hosted. That was disconcerting as well. In accessing his memories on the   
daughter board, Kitt couldn't find any indication that his CPU was badly damaged. In fact, the   
only thing he could remember that seemed pertinent was the feeling that some intruder had been   
in his CPU.   
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Bonnie had returned Kitt's shell safely to its garage and was now trying to track down Michael.   
She figured that maybe he was in his suite since she had checked the lab and no one had seen   
him. She knocked and was about to leave when Michael opened the door. He was wearing   
sweatpants and looked groggy.  
  
"Oh, sorry, I didn't think you'd be asleep," she said.  
  
Michael ran a hand through his hair. "No, that's okay come in. Actually, I'm usually the one   
keeping you up so I guess turn about is fair play. I just figured I should get the sleep while I   
could."  
  
Michael's room was relatively spartan. He hadn't gone out of his way to give it any personality   
since he didn't usually stay there. Bonnie sat down on the couch in the living room and Michael   
sat down next to her. "What's going on?"  
  
Bonnie thought for a minute about whether or not she should say anything inside the Foundation   
building. She decided that it would probably be okay since there weren't any security cameras   
in the rooms. All the bugs seemed to be in the computers, anyway.  
  
"We were on the right track. I talked to Stephen and he's pretty sure that one of our hackers is   
accessing the system from the Knight estate in Nevada."  
  
"One of them?" Michael asked.  
  
Bonnie filled him in on all the details and Michael seemed to brighten at the prospect of having   
somewhere to look for Kitt.  
  
"Any idea who had access to the report?" Michael asked.  
  
"I stopped at my computer to get a copy of the distribution list." She handed Michael a list of   
names.   
  
Thomas Barton  
Peter Guerrero  
Allan Thorpe  
Jennifer Knight  
Therese Stanton  
  
"I don't know about you, but I think it's time to go rattle some cages."  
  
"I wouldn't do that. Remember that Devon's still on the hook with all this and if you go in and   
start shaking down board members, that could hurt him," Bonnie cautioned.  
  
"Bon, we've go to get to these people, it's our only way to get Kitt back."  
  
"At least start with the most likely suspect."  
  
"There's one name on that list that looks like a damn good suspect to me."  
  
"Jennifer."  
  
"That's what I was thinking. So who are the others? Obviously, we know Allan."  
  
Bonnie looked at the list. "Therese Stanton is the Chairperson, so don't go after her without   
good reason. Other than that, I have no clue. They were all in Nevada for the meeting. I don't   
know who actually stays there other than Jennifer."  
  
"I think I'll go pay Ms. Jennifer Knight a visit," Michael said, before shaking his head. "Ah, is   
the car still drivable?" he asked quietly.  
  
Bonnie stifled a sad smile. "Yes. Some of his functions are still operable but you're going to   
have to be careful."  
  
"How about communications? Can I get in touch with you on the video monitor?"  
  
"Yes, I'll show you how to operate the basic functions without Kitt's CPU."  
  
***  
  
Kitt occupied himself by counting the time since he had been activated. He knew down to the   
microsecond how long he had been operating, and was glad he didn't experience the sensation   
of time slowing down like people did. He was sure that for a human, it would have seemed a   
lot longer than 5 hours, 17 minutes, 34.126547 seconds. Kitt wished he had a way of   
communicating with Bonnie because, from his side of the serial link, it didn't look like there   
were any problems. It just wasn't hooked up.  
  
When he had first been activated, he had started analyzing his situation. It had made him panic   
so badly that he wanted to scream, even though he knew he couldn't make a sound. At that   
point, he decided to direct his attention to the clock counting his operating time. He assumed   
that his perception of being trapped in this dark, silent state was similar to human   
claustrophobia. Although he didn't know anyone who suffered from that phobia, he supposed it   
was similar to Bonnie's fear of flying.  
  
Kitt was also concerned about Michael. In looking through his memory banks, he knew that   
whoever was operating the tank was trying to hurt Michael. What if they had succeeded?   
What if Kitt had let Michael down? What if Michael was dead? Kitt went back to counting.   
Until he could communicate, there was no way to know what had happened to Michael. It was   
irrational to keep dwelling on it. He had gone over the data and he didn't have an answer. He   
would just have to wait for Bonnie.  
  
It had been a while since Kitt had panicked; 3 hours, 52 minutes, 14.890726 seconds to be   
exact. Kitt decided it would be a good idea to go back to analyzing the situation. If he knew   
what was wrong with his systems, he might have a better idea of how long it would take Bonnie   
to solve the problem. Again he accessed his memories. He replayed the attack, but there   
wasn't any evidence that he had been damaged. In fact, there wasn't any evidence that he had   
had a direct confrontation with the tank at all. He remembered Michael being thrown from the   
turret and calling for him over the comlink. He analyzed the video, the magnetic sensor data,   
and the IR data. There was nothing to suggest that the T72 had even fired. But there had   
definitely been a disruption to his systems shortly after Michael had fallen. Kitt's memories of   
what happened right around that time were disjointed and jumbled. Much of the data itself was   
corrupted and he didn't have accurate time stamps for most of it. He started following the   
cascade of failures back through his voice module, his backup module, his transmitter, and his   
CPU. Kitt spent time trying to reconstruct missing or corrupted time stamps. Finally it became   
clear to him that the first of the system failures began right after he had received a message over   
the private carrier wave. And then it dawned on him that perhaps the reason Bonnie hadn't   
connected the link was because it wasn't Bonnie who had activated him. Kitt screamed.  
  
***  
  
After a few quick instructions from Bonnie, which Michael dutifully ignored, he took Kitt's car   
and left. He was excited to have something to do to help bring Kitt back. Unfortunately, he   
wasn't prepared for making the 10-hour drive to Reno without his traveling companion. He   
didn't like having to do all the driving himself. In fact, he had to keep reminding himself that he   
couldn't just take his hands off the wheel and expect Kitt to expertly pick up where he left off.   
He didn't have anyone to talk to, which was made worse by the lack of good radio stations.   
Actually he couldn't remember the last time he and Kitt had had the radio on. Since they both   
objected to each other's music, they rarely played it anymore. Michael was reminded just how   
much he enjoyed Kitt's company every time he glanced down at the darkened voice modulator.   
  
Michael finally found a radio station that he could listen to. He amused himself by singing along.  
  
I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind  
I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time  
I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon  
I feel there's nothing I can do  
  
I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon  
After all, I knew it had to be something to do with you  
I really don't mind what happens now and then  
As long as you'll be my friend in the end  
  
Michael briefly toyed with the idea of calling Bonnie just to have someone to talk to. He   
dropped the idea because she would probably be irritated by the distraction.   
  
Being in Kitt's shell was depressing him, much as it had depressed Bonnie earlier. He just kept   
forgetting that Kitt wasn't there. He really hoped that he could get some information out of   
Jennifer. He glanced down at the list on the passenger seat. If it wasn't her, Michael didn't   
know who else to suspect. He didn't want to consider Allan, but after Jennifer, he seemed to   
be the most likely candidate.   
  
The radio kept playing and Michael tuned in and out  
  
You called me strong, you called me weak  
But still your secrets I will keep  
You took for granted all the times I never let you down  
You stumbled in and bumped your head  
If not for me than you'd be dead  
I picked you up and put you back on solid ground  
  
If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman  
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand  
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might  
Kryptonite  
  
It was going to be a long trip.  
  
***  
  
Kitt was currently alphabetizing the names of every country in the world along with the leaders   
and capitols. It was the sort of task Bonnie normally gave him to do while she was working on   
his code. He would try to be quiet for as long as he could and when he just couldn't take the   
silence anymore, he'd start asking her questions. He knew it interrupted her, but he just   
couldn't help it. She had started giving him whole laundry lists of arbitrary calculations or   
sorting tasks to do. At least it kept him busy.   
  
After Kitt had managed to calm himself down, he had analyzed the situation further. As far as   
he could tell, he was running on his own processor emulation board, with the memory daughter   
card attached. It appeared to him to be operating normally, except for the communications link,   
so it seemed unlikely that someone other than a FLAG technician had activated his program.   
Perhaps his code had been stolen but he had since been recovered and for some reason they   
needed to check him out on the emulation board. That was certainly possible. Anything was   
better than being in the hands of some unknown adversary.  
  
As Kitt was considering the options, he was surprised to find that the link was suddenly   
established. Excited, he sent Bonnie a greeting.  
  
HELLO, KITT. I'M AFRAID YOU'RE MISTAKEN. MY NAME IS DAN.  
  
***  
  
Michael walked up the flagstone path leading to the estate. It was early morning and there was   
still a chill in the desert air. Some of the bushes lining the walkway were edged with delicate   
frost crystals. It wouldn't be long before the sun melted them away.   
  
It was earlier in the morning than Michael would have liked. He had arrived in Reno around   
midnight and hadn't slept well, but he wanted to get this confrontation over with as soon as   
possible. He was tired of waiting.  
  
Michael looked at the office list in the entryway and found that the only name he recognized was   
Jennifer's. He headed into the main lobby and then blew right past the receptionist. There was   
no point in waiting around to be escorted and he was in no mood anyway. The long drive   
without Kitt had stoked his anger and he was more than ready to get the person responsible.  
  
Michael opened the office door without knocking. Jennifer looked up from the papers she was   
reading at her desk. "Michael, this is a surprise. I see you still haven't learned the fine art of   
knocking."  
  
"I'm not in a patient, knocking sort of mood, Jennifer."  
  
"What can I help you with?" she asked sweetly, while going back to her work and ignoring him.  
  
Michael walked up to the desk and grabbed the papers out of her hand. "I want to know what   
you've done to Kitt and why you tried to make Devon look incompetent."  
  
Jennifer looked up with a sarcastic smile, "Now did Devon put this little fantasy in your head?"  
  
"No, damn it, we know that someone's been tampering with Foundation computer files, most of   
them Devon's. Seems they were trying to make him look forgetful. And we know it's someone   
on the board, Jennifer." Michael put both his hands down on Jennifer's desk and leaned   
forward in a threatening pose. He still had her papers crumpled under his right hand. Jennifer   
wasn't fazed.  
  
"Oh, it's someone on the board, therefore it must be me," she spat back at him. "I've got news   
for you, Michael, if I was the only board member who had issues with FLAG, I wouldn't be   
much of a threat. I can assure you that votes concerning FLAG are never 14 to 1. And why   
would I take the time to meddle with Devon's files?"  
  
"Maybe you need him out of the way for some reason? Maybe you're up to something again?   
Maybe you haven't learned your lesson about leaving us alone?"  
  
The polite smile on Jennifer's face seemed to freeze a bit and her eyes were a little distant.   
Then she recovered. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Then why did you request a copy of the report on Kitt's vulnerabilities?"  
  
"Oh, is that what this is about? Yes, I keep close track of what's going on at FLAG. I feel its   
part of my responsibilities as a board member. Some others don't feel inclined to be that   
involved. To be honest, it's all gibberish to me anyway. I haven't been in Devon's files or done   
anything to the Knight 2000; I wouldn't know how. I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere   
for your villain this time." She took the papers from him, smoothed them against the wooden   
desk, and went back to her work.  
  
Michael stalked out of the building, thoroughly frustrated. He thought she was probably telling   
the truth. He hated that woman's smile, but he did believe that she wouldn't know how to   
break into the files. It just didn't seem like her style. He approached the car and paused to   
contemplate the darkened scanner, before climbing in. He picked up the list again. Much as he   
hated to admit it, he was going to have to talk to Allan next. He put the car in drive and   
prepared to make the long trek home.  
  
***  
  
Bonnie was at good stopping point when she got the message that she had new email. She   
picked up the phone to call Stephen as she opened the message with no return address.   
  
"Stephen, they're in the system again. They want to have the money deposited in an online   
account and they claim they'll return Kitt's code when it's been received. Yeah, right."  
  
"I'll see if I can track them. I'll call you back."  
  
Bonnie turned and looked at her PC just as a DOS window opened.  
  
BONNIE, PLEASE HELP.  
  
Bonnie's heart stopped and she suddenly felt ill.  
  
KITT, IS THAT YOU?  
  
YES. HELP. THEY HAVE ME RUNNING ON  
  
Bonnie waited a beat as the stream of words stopped.  
  
FRACTALS  
  
After that, he didn't say anything for another minute.  
  
KITT?   
KITT?  
  
Bonnie typed his name a few more times but he was gone.  
  
"Damn."  
  
She tried to track where Kitt's signal had come from, but all trace of it was gone.  
  
The phone rang and she picked it up. "What was that? It suddenly looked like you were   
getting streamed data and then it stopped," Stephen said.  
  
"That was Kitt. They must have his program running," she said softly.  
  
"That isn't possible, they're probably just trying to make it look like they have it running."  
  
"No, it's Kitt. It looked like he was interrupted when he was trying to tell me what they were   
running him on. Then he just said 'fractals.' I give him fractals to calculate when he's running   
the on the emulation board. He's operational and we've got to find him soon."  
  
"Okay, I'll see if I can figure out where it originated. It should be easier since it was streamed   
data. I'll get back to you if I find something."  
  
Bonnie activated the video link.  
  
***  
  
Michael heard the familiar tone signaling an incoming call. It took him a minute to get it punched   
up manually. "What's up, Bonnie?" She looked disheartened.  
  
"Michael, we just got another email. They managed to get Kitt's program running."  
  
"I thought you said it would take at least a month?"  
  
"I know. It should have taken longer but they sent us another message and a stream of data   
from Kitt. We need to get to him soon."  
  
Michael didn't like the matter-of-fact tone she was using. She just seemed to be too distant.   
"Why, what's going on?"  
  
"Michael, they seem to be running him in a state similar to when I run him outside of the car. He   
isn't hooked up to his external sensors and he doesn't have any input coming in. His program   
wasn't designed to operate like that. It's like sensory deprivation in humans."  
  
"Isn't that a relaxing thing?" Michael asked confused.  
  
"Only for very short periods of time. Then true sensory deprivation will start to drive someone   
utterly insane. The mind can't handle being without outside sensations and Kitt is very similar."  
  
"But you said yourself that you work with him outside the car."  
  
"Yes, but we have to be very careful about how we do it. There's a communication link open   
so he can talk to us. In the past we've had to give him things to do, tasks to complete or   
calculations to run. But the bottom line is that if he isn't getting any of that, I don't know what   
this will do to him. He made it clear from the first few times that we ran his program externally   
that he couldn't take the silence. He got panicky and upset. If they're letting his program run,   
they're basically torturing him, Michael." Her voice wavered from its previous eerie calm.  
  
Michael felt his chest tighten at the word torture. They had to end this, the sooner the better.   
"We'll have to find a way to get to him, then. How would they be able to run his program this   
quickly? Think, Bonnie."  
  
"I just don't know, Michael," she said, letting her frustration show. "Unless they had some of   
Kitt's own hardware and schematics, I don't have any clue. It shouldn't be possible."  
  
"Maybe they have some of Kitt's hardware. Is it possible that anything was stolen recently?"  
  
Bonnie hadn't considered the possibility that someone had thought ahead and stolen Kitt's   
hardware as well as his software. She was still thinking of this as a crime of opportunity, but   
obviously it was a well thought-out and organized attack. With a board member involved, they   
would have had access to a lot of things ahead of time. "I'll look, Michael. I guess if someone   
has been hatching this plan for a while, they could have stolen the schematics for the hardware   
and built it themselves, but I'll see if any of our hardware is missing."  
  
"One more thing. I've been looking over the list of board members again. I know Allan is a   
likely suspect. He seems to have gained the most from Devon leaving, but it just doesn't feel   
right to me. Call it an ex-cop-gut-feeling or something, but I just don't think he's in on this. We   
should be careful in case I'm wrong, but does anyone else on this list stand out to you?"  
  
Bonnie thought about the names on the list. Other than Jennifer, she barely knew them. "No,   
I'm afraid not."  
  
"How would I know Peter Guerrero? His name seems familiar," Michael asked.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe you remember him from Chicago?"  
  
"I don't think so. I didn't exactly get introduced to anybody. And I feel like I've seen his name   
written down."  
  
"It's certainly possible with any of the board members, but I'll pull up his file and see if there's   
anything interesting."  
  
***  
  
The link was shut down and Kitt was alone again. As much as he didn't enjoy talking with his   
captor, it was better than the numbing quiet. Not that this Dan had said much to him. As soon   
as the link was established, he had told Kitt that he was going to patch him through to the   
Foundation and that he should be careful about what he said. Kitt had wanted to find out if   
Michael was injured, but he had only been able to communicate with Bonnie for a few seconds   
before Dan stopped the transmission. After that, Dan had asked him questions about how his   
program worked. Kitt hadn't felt like answering.   
  
Kitt couldn't help replaying the images of Michael being thrown off the turret of the tank. One   
of the last bits of information he had was of seeing Michael move off to the side, gasping for air.   
Even though it had him worried, replaying the last few minutes of the attack had been something   
for him to do, to process. He sifted through every bit of data from every sensor he had to make   
sure that, at least while he had been active, Michael was still okay. He hoped he hadn't failed   
Michael. What if Michael hadn't been able to get away from the T72? What if he was more   
seriously injured than he appeared? In fact, how would Michael have gotten away from the   
T72 if he was hurt and Kitt was of no help? Kitt had tried to warn Michael that it wasn't a   
good idea to go out while Kitt was vulnerable. But Bonnie had agreed and against his better   
judgment, Kitt had consented. Now the person who meant the most to him could be injured or   
dead and he was stuck in this horrible state with this horrible Dan as his captor. Kitt was   
starting to panic again; he switched over to solving fractal equations. This was the task he liked   
to do best, finding the order in the chaos. 9 hours, 16 minutes, 38.711258 seconds.  
  
***  
  
Michael was surprised when Bonnie called back in less than fifteen minutes. "I think we found   
our suspicious board member," she said, sounding very determined and much less hopeless than   
when he talked to her last.  
  
"Peter Guerrero?"  
  
"Yes. You'll never guess what company he's part owner in."  
  
Michael wasn't sure.  
  
"Belharbor Industries. You probably saw his name when you were researching the company,"   
Bonnie said with a flourish. "And I had completely forgotten, but he asked Devon to give him a   
tour of our labs a month or two ago. We are missing an emulation board and the tools that go   
with it. Since we don't normally need it, we never noticed it was gone. He's been planning this   
for a while."  
  
"What does he have to gain, though?"  
  
"That I can't help you with. I also don't know who the other hacker is and it looks like he's the   
one who has Kitt."  
  
"I guess we'll just have to get that information out of Mr. Guerrero, won't we? I'm on my way   
back to LA and I think I'll pay Belharbor Industries another visit."  
  
"Michael, I'll send you all the information I have on Guerrero, including a picture. Just   
remember that even though you have Kitt's shell, he's not in it. You won't have him there to   
back you up."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I'll give you a call when I find something out."  
  
The video monitor went blank. "We're going to get you back, buddy. Just hang in there," he   
said to the quiet car.  
  
***  
  
Peter got up from his desk at the headquarters of Belharbor Industries. He had finally figured   
out how to tap into FLAG's network from his own computer system and was able to patch into   
the link between Knight and Dr. Barstow. He headed out of his office to let Dan know they   
were going to have company. He wanted to strangle the arrogant hacker. Peter was sure he   
was responsible for the anonymous tip to FLAG about the arms smuggling and now he was   
sending them ransom notes. Dan thought he was smarter than everyone else and he always   
took the time to rub people's noses in it. Now he was going to get them all caught.   
  
Peter took the elevator up to the fourth floor computer lab. Dan Haster had his own private   
lab, as one of the conditions of his employment. Guerrero's partner Dennis Armstrong had   
suggested hiring him to keep the company's assets, and activities, secret.   
  
Belharbor Industries hadn't always been involved in illegal trafficking. It had started back when   
the company was going through tough times and was hurting for cash. A man named Dolan had   
offered them a sizable bribe in exchange for looking the other way when he added a few things   
to the shipments. Sometimes it was drugs, sometimes arms, and sometimes even illegal aliens.   
Since the business was hurting, Guerrero decided it was the only way there were going to make   
it. Dolan always had a man there at the harbor to take away whatever was added. Peter felt   
safe because they could always scapegoat Dolan if they got caught. Pretty soon the smuggling   
was bringing in as much money as the legitimate business. They put the money in Bahamian and   
Cayman banks and were careful not to let it become part of their operating money. That kept   
Belharbor Industries off the radar.   
  
Eventually business turned around and Peter found himself profiled as a prominent small   
businessman in Los Angeles. Soon after that, he was offered a position on the Knight Industries   
Board of Directors. The board had two positions for outside members of the community. At   
first he thought it was funny, serving on the board for a company that specialized in catching and   
bringing corporate criminals to justice. Then he started to get nervous. He kept a close eye on   
what techniques FLAG was using to trip people up and tried to keep a low profile on the   
board.   
  
Belharbor Industries had started handling larger and more expensive weapons and dealing with   
a wider net of criminals. And then Dolan got caught. Peter was right about being able to use   
him as a scapegoat. They had been investigated but managed to hide everything. Since there   
wasn't any evidence, Dolan fingering them just looked like a desperate attempt to save himself.   
However, Belharbor Industries had been linked to a crime ring. They may have gotten away   
with it that time, but if another one of their clients got caught, it would be hard to explain. Peter   
wanted to bring in a computer expert to keep an eye on who was accessing the police records.   
He figured that if they had a heads-up, they could tone down their activities for a while if things   
got too hot. They explained the hire by offering computerized scheduling and inventory   
services. Dan Haster had a criminal record for hacking so Dennis hired him. Peter found Dan   
to be greedy and difficult to keep in line. He was always warning the hacker to be more careful.   
Dan seemed determined to flaunt his exploits in front of everyone.   
  
At some point, in an attempt to convince him that there were others out there smart enough to   
catch him, Peter had told Dan about the Knight Industries 2000. Since then, Dan had been   
obsessed with getting the artificial intelligence. He wanted to make a name for himself in the   
industry and since FLAG had kept KITT quiet, he could steal the technology and claim it as his   
own.   
  
Dennis Armstrong in the meantime had been getting sloppy with the smuggling. Belharbor   
Industries used to just look the other way, but now they were unloading and storing illegal arms.   
Peter didn't know how much longer they could hold things together. He was nervous and he   
really wanted to get out. His job as a board member was only an advisory position so he   
wasn't paid a full salary. He wanted to make a clean break from Belharbor Industries and he   
saw becoming Director of FLAG as the best opportunity. In that position, he could scapegoat   
Armstrong if the need arose and he could easily blackmail Haster by threatening to expose   
where the AI came from.   
  
Peter, who was fairly good with a computer, had started hacking into FLAG's network. He   
was looking for a way to get Dan the AI and encourage Devon Miles to leave. He decided that   
making Devon look incompetent was easily accomplished by altering his files and emails to   
remove important information. Then Dan had gone and tipped FLAG off to the smuggling.   
Peter was afraid Devon would make the connection so he stepped up his efforts. He stole the   
donation check from the cash box at the fundraiser to increase the pressure on the older man.   
Peter did most of his work from the Knight Estate in Nevada because, until recently, he didn't   
have access to the system from anywhere else. Then he received the report about KITT's   
vulnerabilities and the timing couldn't have been better. It allowed them to get KITT and make   
Devon look stupid at the same time. Peter wanted to ease his way into Devon's job so he   
started quietly talking to the other board members about nominating him for the position. It all   
seemed simple.  
  
Then Dan had messed things up again. Peter thought that Dan would simply steal a copy of the   
original AI. That way no one would be the wiser. Guerrero had already stolen the hardware   
for Haster when he had taken a tour of FLAG's labs. But Dan wasn't one to play the game the   
way Guerrero wanted it played. He stole the original but didn't want FLAG to have a copy of   
the AI that they could produce if he went public with his. He unleashed a virus on them that   
destroyed their backup copy of the program. And now he was playing mind games with the   
FLAG technicians. Peter had already had it out with him over the ransom note but Haster had   
contacted them again anyway. How stupid could he be? They weren't going to pay him for the   
code and Dan knew it. He was just enjoying the game.   
  
Peter entered the lab and walked up to Dan Haster. "They're coming here. Knight is bringing   
the car and they know we're involved."  
  
"That's not my problem," Dan said, without looking up from his equipment. He was a large   
man in his early thirties with a goatee and earring. "And I'm guessing they know you're   
involved, not me."  
  
"You arrogant ass. You've brought this all crumbling down on us. We could've had everything   
and now we're all going to end up in jail."  
  
"Why don't you just get rid of Knight? Armstrong brought the equipment here last night for   
pickup. Use it to get Knight."  
  
Guerrero thought it over. He'd still have to take care of Dr. Barstow but it was a start. He   
didn't like the idea of adding murder to the list of things he could be indicted for but he was   
running out of options. Then he remembered that Knight still had the car.   
  
"That car is indestructible."  
  
"So get him out of the car." Dan hated how often he had to explain the obvious to Guerrero.   
The man just never thought for himself. And Dan was busy. He was studying his new artificial   
intelligence and he didn't want to be distracted by problems that he didn't feel any responsibility   
for.   
  
With nothing left to say, Peter turned on his heels and went to find Armstrong. At least they had   
time. Knight was still on his way back from Nevada.  
  
Dan was pleased that the distraction had left. He wanted to activate the link again to find out   
more about how the code worked, but the AI wasn't answering his questions. He was also   
afraid that if he left the AI connected too long, it would find a way to contact FLAG.  
  
***  
  
Kitt didn't bother trying to keep himself busy anymore. He was so worried about Michael that   
he wasn't processing correctly anyway. He just kept going round and round in circles, finding   
all the things that he had done wrong over the last few weeks that had led up to this. Kitt had   
convinced himself that 'this' was Michael in the hospital with serious injuries or dead, killed by   
the T72 while Kitt sat idle and worthless. He had let Michael down. It was his fault. He should   
have insisted they stay at the Foundation and not go out to check the warehouses again. He   
should have called for help immediately instead of trying to back up his own code. How could   
he have been so selfish? He was a machine that could be rebuilt, but Michael may have lost his   
life. He had violated his dominant program and tried to save himself rather than Michael. They   
had probably decided not to look for him. If he were found, they would probably just shut him   
down because he had failed to protect human life.  
  
Round and round Kitt went, like an animal pacing in a cage. He was trapped inside a tiny   
plastic package with leads running out to a printed circuit card. His prison was the size of a   
matchbook and he was tired and bloody from banging against the bars. No one could hear him.   
There was no escape until someone found him, if anyone was even looking. Until then there   
was nothing he could do and Kitt found that he didn't care anymore.   
  
***  
  
Michael approached Belharbor Industries cautiously. He was actually up on a ridge   
overlooking the place. He had seen a few men near a large shed behind the modern glass   
building. The shed was next to a rail line and they had been unloading things from a freight car.   
Michael wished he had Kitt with him. As it was, he could only see what was going on outside   
the building. He felt unprepared. The building itself was located in what looked like a deserted   
industrial park. Michael knew that this area south of the airport had been having problems. It   
looked like all the other businesses had pulled out and it was possible that Belharbor Industries   
owned the last occupied building in the area.  
  
Michael decided there was no point in hanging around up on the ridge. He put the car into gear   
and headed back through the seedy residential streets toward the main entrance. He pulled   
through the gate and headed toward the building. As he approached the front, he heard an   
engine roar to life behind Belharbor Industries. It was loud and menacing. As Michael turned   
the car to go around behind the glass building, a garage door opened on the shed and the T72   
tore out of the open cavern. It headed straight toward him and swung the gun around to aim.  
  
This was going to be a lot harder without Kitt, Michael thought.  
  
Michael continued toward the tank, knowing he would have to take it out before he could go   
after Guerrero. As Michael headed for the T72, it stopped and fired its massive gun. The large   
shell exploded on the car's hood. Michael hit the brakes and skidded to the left, kicking up a   
large cloud of dust as he left the road. He got control of the car and doubled back towards the   
giant tank. He wasn't sure exactly how he was going to stop it. He drove behind the T72 as   
the turret swiveled to follow him. Michael turned to make another pass. He was just moving so   
that the gunner wouldn't have time to fire while he figured out what to do. As he headed   
between the shed and the T72, he had his eyes on the tank. He was surprised when a missile   
grazed the hood of the car and exploded seconds afterward. As soon as he had the car under   
control again, he craned his neck around to see that a man had pulled a pickup truck out of the   
shed. In the bed of the truck was a missile launcher with two more IR missiles. He was lucky   
that the first one had missed its mark. He looked for the button to launch the decoy Bonnie had   
installed. He didn't know where it would go without Kitt to guide it, but as long as he went a   
different way, he figured he'd be able to escape a direct hit.   
  
The T72 was on the move again, trying to corral him towards the missile launcher. Michael   
drove around the tank in a tight circle, forcing the turret to swing almost a full 360 degrees to   
follow him. He then tried to build up speed to go past the truck. As he did, another missile   
fired. Michael hit the decoy button and it came flying out of a panel along the side of the hood.   
It shot straight out ahead of the car, allowing Michael to bank hard, and skid the car off the   
road again. The black finish on the hood was covered with dust and scorch marks. The missile   
followed the decoy and exploded ahead of where Michael had skidded to a stop.  
  
They still had one IR missile left and Michael only had one decoy. He got the car moving again   
and headed away from the two vehicles. He banked hard and came back at both of them with   
as much speed as he could. The T72 kicked into gear and headed toward him in a nasty game   
of chicken. In front of Michael's position and to the left, the truck-mounted missile launcher   
swiveled to reacquire Michael as its target. Michael kept driving straight at the tank and slowed   
the car down. Just as the missile flew free of the launcher, he veered right to put the tank   
between him and the missile and hit turbo boost. He hoped that, unaided by Kitt's CPU, it   
would just shoot him straight ahead. The car flew forward and landed just to the far side of the   
tank. Michael slammed on the brakes, spun out, and killed the engine. The missile had   
followed the trajectory of the car until it was lost behind the larger heat signature of the tank   
engine. Then it locked onto the tank and detonated as it hit the side of the vehicle. The   
explosion ripped the turret right off the top and sent it clattering across the roof of Kitt's shell.  
  
Michael watched as two disoriented figures climbed out of the smoldering tank and dropped to   
the ground. The man in the truck jumped off the bed and climbed into the cab. Michael started   
the engine again and headed for the white truck. It blew past him, attempting to make it to the   
front gate. Michael turned and chased after it. He floored the accelerator and moved up   
alongside the truck. Michael swerved hard into its side, causing a sizable dent. He pulled back   
and swerved into it again, knocking the truck off the road. It flipped when it hit the uneven dirt   
and came to a skidding stop. The truck rocked back and forth a few times on it's collapsed   
roof as the driver freed himself from the wreck and took off running for the building. Michael   
jumped out of the car and raced after him. He tackled the guy from behind and then grabbed   
him by the collar and turned him over. Michael got up on his knees and was about to hit the   
man when he realized that it was Peter Guerrero.  
  
"Where's Kitt?" Michael yelled at him.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"The code you stole, where is it," Michael said, cocking back his arm.  
  
"In the building, fourth floor," Guerrero said. Michael hauled back and hit him hard enough to   
knock him unconscious.   
  
Michael left Guerrero lying there and headed back towards the car. He punched the buttons to   
activate the video link. "Bonnie, call the police and send them to Belharbor Industries.   
There're three guys here with some very interesting military hardware."  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine."  
  
"Kitt?" Bonnie asked without pausing.  
  
"I'm working on that. I'll let you know."  
  
Michael checked to see that the two men from the T72 were still sitting outside the vehicle in a   
daze before he headed toward the main building.  
  
***  
  
The Belharbor Industries building was sparsely populated. Michael ran into a few people in the   
hallway but he guessed that most of the employees had gone home for the day. He walked   
down the fourth floor hallway, regretting that he hadn't gotten more information from Guerrero   
before knocking him out. He wasn't sure exactly where to look and lacking Kitt's sensors, he   
was left to simply guess. Most of the doors had nameplates outside them, indicating they were   
people's offices. Michael had seen one or two large rooms with cubes in them. The hallway   
was cinderblock painted bland, neutral beige. The two larger rooms were easy to scope out   
since each had a window looking out into the hallway. Since he had no idea who might have   
Kitt or what he would even look like right now, Kitt could be anywhere. Michael didn't want   
to draw attention to himself by rifling through every room so he was searching for something that   
looked promising.   
  
Michael turned a corner and almost ran into a cleaning woman with a large wastebasket and   
cart. He apologized and moved on, seeing light from what must be another hallway window.   
He peered in, and saw that it was computer lab. That was certainly an intelligent place to start.   
Michael opened the door, relieved that it didn't need a pass code. There were two rows of   
computers inside, their monitors glowing with various screen savers. Michael took a walk down   
the aisle but didn't see anything to suggest that Kitt was nearby. He noticed a light coming from   
a room off the lab. Cautiously, he tried the door but it was locked. Michael pulled his lock-  
picking tools out of his jacket pocket.  
  
***  
  
Dan was fascinated. He had lost all track of time. He wanted to figure out what made this   
piece of code an artificial intelligence. He had managed to get it running in a debug mode on the   
tools that Guerrero had stolen for him. Technically, he could pause the execution at anytime but   
he didn't want to do that. He enjoyed just watching how the code was executing. The tools   
had a separate window that printed out the name of each function as it was called. It gave him a   
good idea of the run order of the program. When he had first started the program, it seemed to   
be jumping all over the place. It was hitting hundreds of different functions in several different   
sections of the code. After a while it would settle into calling just ten to twenty functions. Then   
it would go off again all over the place. Dan also had scopes hooked up to the hardware to see   
how often the memory chips were accessed and how often the external signals were polled. He   
was enthralled.  
  
A noise from behind him brought Dan back to his surroundings. He turned to see a tall man he   
didn't recognize moving toward him. "What are you doing in here? This is my private lab."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, but I think maybe you have something that doesn't belong to you," Michael   
replied.  
  
Haster realized that this was probably Knight and he had somehow managed to get past   
Guerrero and Armstrong. Dan stood up and tried to take a swing at Knight.  
  
Michael ducked and came up with a punch that caught Haster in the chin and forced him   
backward into the monitor he had been studying. Michael realized that he needed to be careful   
not to damage anything. This guy had taken a swing so it was a good bet Kitt was here. He   
grabbed the overweight man by the arm and flung him away from the computer and into the   
door. Haster turned and managed to land a punch on the left side of Michael's jaw. Michael   
shook it off as Haster flung open the door and tried to escape the lab. He ran down the aisle   
between the rows of computers and threw one of the monitors on the floor behind him. Michael   
easily hurdled the obstacle just as Haster tripped on a bundle of cords on the floor. He went   
down and Michael was able to get to him and throw another punch. He pinned the man's arms   
behind him and then yanked a mouse off a nearby computer. He used the cord to tie Haster's   
arms behind his back and then to the leg of the computer table. "Let me go, I haven't done   
anything wrong."  
  
"Then why'd you throw a punch at me, huh? If I go back into that lab and find that you have   
my partner in there, your going to spend you're time at a computer in prison."  
  
Michael got up and went back to the smaller lab. He looked at the computer Haster had been   
working on. There were two bare computer boards stacked one on top of the other near the   
computer. There were cables running to different parts of the boards. The cables were   
attached to a scope that was showing little square pulses on its screen. The information on the   
monitor was nonsense to him so he picked up a nearby phone to call Bonnie.  
  
***  
  
Kitt wasn't really thinking anymore. He had stopped consciously moving from one thought to   
the next and was simply dwelling. Only a few thoughts came to him in the form of words.   
Failure. Loss. End. Everything else had been boiled down to the conclusion that he had failed   
his partner and that Michael was dead or seriously injured. Those thoughts left him despondent.  
  
He had stopped polling his external signals. He wasn't interesting in talking with his captor and   
there weren't any signals to monitor on his sensor lines. What difference did it make? He had   
given up hope of rescue. Everyone was probably more worried about Michael. Kitt had   
managed to lose himself in self-loathing and guilt.   
  
Kitt was surprised when he received an interrupt from the communications link. He ignored the   
first one, but the interrupt came again. Tentatively, Kitt serviced the request.  
  
KITT, ARE YOU THERE? IT'S MICHAEL.  
  
Kitt ignored the question. It was probably a cruel hoax played by this Dan person to get him to   
start talking again. In fact, he doubted that he had even talked to Bonnie earlier.  
  
BUDDY, PLEASE ANSWER ME IF YOU CAN.  
  
Kitt was determined not to fall into this trap. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but he   
couldn't help the little glimmer of 'what if' that was lighting a small corner of his mind.  
  
***  
  
Michael stared at the screen, frustrated. Bonnie had talked him through setting up the   
communications link but he could have messed something up. "Bonnie, he's not answering me.   
How would I know if this is all hooked up right and he's even hearing me?"  
  
"Ah, okay. You said there's a window open that has text constantly scrolling through it, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay, type a message to him again and when you hit enter, watch to see if the phrase   
PC_EMU_COMM3_SERVICE_INRRPT comes up."  
  
Michael did as he was told. "Yes, it's there."  
  
"Then he's reading your messages, Michael. Keep trying to talk to him. I'm going to get some   
equipment together and I'll meet you there as soon as I can."  
  
Michael hung up the phone and thought for a minute. Then he typed another message.  
  
KITT, I'M SORRY I TALKED YOU INTO GOING OUT AND CHECKING THE WAREHOUSES AGAIN. IF I   
HADN'T TAKEN YOU AWAY FROM THE FOUNDATION, MAYBE BONNIE AND THE OTHERS COULD   
HAVE PREVENTED THIS FROM HAPPENING. I'M SORRY. PLEASE FORGIVE ME. I MISS YOU.  
  
Kitt didn't know what to think when he read that. He was starting to think that maybe, just   
maybe this was Michael, here to help him. But then again, his captor most likely had access to   
his memories. Kitt tried to force down the joyous feeling that was growing in his consciousness.   
It would hurt too much if this weren't Michael. In fact, Kitt didn't think he would be able to go   
on if it weren't. He decided to wait. Kitt knew that Michael would be too stubborn to give up.  
  
Michael looked around the room, searching for inspiration, trying to figure out what to say next.   
He tried to put himself in Kitt's position. What would Kitt be thinking?   
  
PAL, I REALLY CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS WITHOUT YOU. I DROVE THE CAR TO RENO AND BACK   
WITH NO ONE TO TALK TO. I LISTENED TO THE RADIO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS AND I   
DIDN'T LIKE IT. I KEPT STARING AT YOUR VOICE MODULATOR HOPING IT WOULD LIGHT UP   
AGAIN AND KNOWING IT WOULDN'T. I SAT AROUND THE FOUNDATION FOR DAYS, DRIVING   
EVERYONE NUTS BECAUSE I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO LOOK FOR YOU. I FELT SO   
POWERLESS BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO TO HELP. PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP NOW.   
BONNIE'S ON HER WAY AND WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU BACK WHERE YOU BELONG. PLEASE SAY   
SOMETHING, KITT. I LOVE YOU.  
  
Kitt couldn't contain the joy that rolled through him. It was Michael; it had to be. Kitt wasn't   
responsible for his death. The tank hadn't flattened him into the ground. He wanted to believe   
that what he was hearing was true.  
  
MICHAEL, IS THAT REALLY YOU?  
  
YES, KITT. THANK YOU.  
  
I'M SORRY I LET YOU DOWN, MICHAEL. YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND IT WAS MY FAULT.   
WERE YOU HURT BADLY BY THE T72?  
  
I dawned on Michael that Kitt didn't know what happened after he was downloaded out of the   
car.  
  
NO, JUST A COUPLE OF BRUISED RIBS, NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. AND YOU DIDN'T LET ME   
DOWN. IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT. YOU WERE UNDER ATTACK TOO. THE IMPORTANT THING IS   
THAT WE'RE BOTH OKAY NOW. OR AT LEAST YOU WILL BE SOON.  
  
I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I'VE MISSED YOU, MICHAEL.  
  
ME TOO, BUDDY, ME TOO.  
  
MICHAEL, PLEASE DON'T GO AWAY. IT'S LONELY IN HERE. IT'S TOO QUIET.  
  
I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE. WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON INSIDE THAT PROCESSOR OF YOURS?  
  
OH, MICHAEL, IT'S BEEN HORRIBLE. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU OR WHERE I WAS   
OR IF YOU WERE EVEN LOOKING FOR ME.  
  
KITT, I'LL ALWAYS COME LOOKING FOR YOU.  
  
AND I'LL DO THE SAME FOR YOU, MICHAEL.  
  
***  
  
Bonnie arrived half an hour later as the police were handcuffing Haster and taking him out.   
After she identified herself to the police, they told her that Michael was in the fourth floor   
computer lab. She was worried about Kitt's mental state. He'd been up and running for at   
least 8 hours in a state he normally found terrifying. She found her way into the lab and saw   
Michael sitting at a computer in the back room. He turned and smiled briefly at her but went   
right back to typing. Bonnie stood over his shoulder and read the snippet of conversation still   
on the screen.  
  
YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON JENNIFER'S FACE WHEN I TOOK THE PAPERS RIGHT   
OUT OF HER HAND. IT WAS PRICELESS.  
  
MICHAEL, YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T ANTAGONIZE BOARD MEMBERS.   
  
WELL, ONE OF THEM HAD IT COMING AND AT THE TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS JENNIFER. IT WAS   
PERFECTLY JUSTIFIED.  
  
HMM. WELL NEXT TIME THEY TRY TO SHUT DOWN FLAG, I'LL KNOW WHOSE FAULT IT IS.  
  
IS THAT THE THANKS I GET FOR COMING TO YOUR RESCUE?  
  
Bonnie smiled and some of her tension eased away. It amazed her how resilient these two   
were.  
  
"How's he doing?" she asked Michael, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"He's lecturing me, so he can't be too bad off."  
  
"Okay. Say goodbye. I want to shut him down and get him out of here."  
  
BONNIE'S HERE, KITT, SO I'M GOING TO LET HER DO HER STUFF. TALK TO YOU SOON.  
  
OKAY, MICHAEL. THANK YOU.  
  
KITT, THIS IS BONNIE. I'M GOING TO SHUT DOWN YOUR PROGRAM NOW. WHEN I START IT UP   
AGAIN, YOU'LL BE BACK IN YOUR OWN CPU.  
  
GOOD. I WANT TO GO HOME.  
  
***  
  
It took a day to get Kitt back in running order. Michael and Kitt were currently out testing   
everything to make sure there weren't any glitches with the reintegration. Bonnie didn't expect   
them to be back for a while. She was headed toward Allan's office to let him know that Kitt   
was completely up and running. She felt hollow as she passed Devon's office. No one had   
heard from him and as much as she liked Allan, she'd rather be telling Devon the news.  
  
She knocked and entered Allan's office.  
  
"Oh, hi. How's everything going?" he asked.  
  
"Good. Michael just took Kitt out to give his systems a thorough once over, now that the   
patches are installed. The lawyers are handling everything with Guerrero, Armstrong, and   
Haster. Everything should be in order there. We've checked all the computers at Belharbor   
Industries and didn't find any copies of Kitt's program. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that   
there isn't one out there somewhere, but I think we're as safe as we can be."  
  
"Good. You guys did a great job of piecing everything together. I sent a memo to the board   
detailing everything that Guerrero did and how he set things up to make it look like Devon's   
fault. The police even found the original donation check when they searched his home."  
  
"Has anyone heard from Devon?" Bonnie asked, knowing that the answer would be no.  
  
"I'm afraid not. I'll call around to the board members and see if anyone has any ideas. Now   
that they know what happened, most of them are feeling petty and they're likely to be more   
cooperative." Allan answered. "If not, I'm sure he'll get in touch sooner or later."  
  
Bonnie just nodded her head. She would have thought so too, but then she didn't think he'd be   
gone this long without letting them know where he was.  
  
***  
  
Jennifer Knight looked at the picture of her family on the mantel in her office and sighed. She   
had just gotten off the phone with Therese Stanton. They were still looking for Devon and it   
was clear now that he wasn't to blame for what happened. Jennifer looked down at the notice   
she had received in the mail a few days earlier. After staring at it for a few minutes she made a   
phone call and listened as an answering machine picked up on the other end. She hung up   
without leaving a message and then made another call.  
  
***  
  
Bonnie was putting a few things away in the semi before she headed home. It had been a long   
two weeks and she was looking forward to putting it all behind her. A gentle tone sounded,   
letting her know that Michael and Kitt were calling. She walked over to the monitor and   
established the link.  
  
"Yo, Bonnie."  
  
"How's everything going? Are you getting used to being back in your shell, Kitt?"  
  
"Yes, Bonnie. All my systems seem to be functioning normally and it's good to be home."  
  
"Hey, Bonnie, we're going to swing back and pick you up. We're going take a little jaunt up   
north," Michael said.  
  
"Guys, I'm really exhausted and I'd just like to get some sleep."  
  
"You can sleep on the way. We've got some things to take care of and it would be good if you   
came along," Michael replied.  
  
"Are you going to tell me what this is all about?" she asked.  
  
"Hmm, we'll have to think about that. Maybe we'll tell you on the way," Michael said   
mysteriously.  
  
Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Okay. Do I need to bring anything?"  
  
"You might want to bring an overnight bag," Michael replied.  
  
Bonnie's eyes narrowed. They were up to something. While she was inclined to go along with   
them, she really didn't like being the odd person out. She figured Michael was just yanking her   
chain. He had long ago given up being that blatantly obvious but she was blushing nonetheless.   
"Kitt, do you know what this is all about?"  
  
"Yes, Bonnie, and you should come with us."  
  
"Okay, If you think it's all right. I'll be ready to go in half an hour."   
  
Michael feigned indignation and Kitt cut the link.  
  
***  
  
They were headed north on Interstate 5 and had gotten at least an hour outside of LA before   
Bonnie thought to ask again where they were going. She had been staring out the window,   
enjoying the scenery and the company. Michael and Kitt had been discussing the finer points of   
congestion-causing highway construction and she had been content just to listen to them.  
  
"So what's this all about? Where are we going and what are we doing?"  
  
"We're going fishing," Michael responded.  
  
Bonnie cocked her head to the side. "Don't tell me you dragged me up here to go fishing?"  
  
"Kitt, do you remember dragging anyone? I don't," Michael said. He eyed her playfully. "That   
would be a good use for the grappling hook, though."   
  
"Very funny," Bonnie said. "Seriously, though, what are we doing?"  
  
Michael sighed and continued in a more serious tone. "We're going fishing up in the mountains   
because we have it on good authority that someone we all know and love is fishing in the   
mountains."  
  
Bonnie looked at him confused. "Devon?"  
  
"We got a call from our favorite board member a little while ago. Apparently, Jennifer is in   
charge of Knight Industries' facilities. She received a notice that power had been turned on at   
the retreat they keep at Blue Lake. They normally shut off utilities to the place unless someone   
is planning to use it. A week ago, the utilities were turned on and only a few people have   
permission to do that."  
  
"Including Devon."  
  
"Umm-hmm. She called the retreat and got the machine so she thinks that he's still there. He   
probably would have had the electricity turned off if he left."  
  
"I assume we're going to try to talk him into coming back?" Bonnie asked.  
  
"That's the plan. Hopefully he won't need too much encouragement. I'm hoping that just   
knowing what happened will be enough."  
  
Bonnie was a bit nervous that maybe it wouldn't be enough. He seemed to be trying to cut all   
ties. She sat for a few minutes lost in thought. "Wait a minute. Fishing? Do we even know if   
Devon fishes?"  
  
"That's what I asked," Kitt said. "It seems a little lowbrow for Devon, don't you think?"  
  
"I beg you're pardon. Fishing is a noble pastime. Didn't you ever read Hemingway?" Michael   
asked.  
  
"Yes, but I'm surprised you have, Michael," Kitt retorted.  
  
Michael chose to ignore him. "Well, Jennifer assures me that when she was younger, Wilton   
used to invite Devon up to the retreat with their family. Apparently he and Wilton would spend   
the time fishing and playing chess."  
  
"The chess I can see, but I'm just not picturing Devon with a fishing pole, baiting a hook,"   
Bonnie said.  
  
"Hopefully we'll find out."  
  
The trip up into the mountains was uneventful. The leaves were starting to turn and the drive   
through the forest was beautiful. They arrived at the mountain retreat in the early evening and   
were happy to see Devon's red Mercedes convertible parked outside the lodge.  
  
"You know what this means, right?" Bonnie asked Michael.  
  
"That Devon's probably here."  
  
"That and you're going to have to thank our favorite board member."  
  
Michael groaned. "Don't remind me. Payback's going to be hell. Kitt, is he in the lodge?"  
  
"No, Michael. He's at a spot overlooking the lake about a quarter mile to the west."  
  
"Thanks, buddy."  
  
Michael tapped the hood and then he and Bonnie set off in the direction of the lake. They came   
up over the top of a ridge overlooking a grassy slope down to the water's edge. Devon was   
sitting on an outcropping of rocks warming his hands with a mug of tea. The air was cool near   
the mountain lake and they could see the steam rising above the mug. Devon was staring out at   
the lake in front of him. It was close to sunset and the view was beautiful. Devon turned   
around as he heard them approaching, but after glancing at them briefly, he went back to staring   
out over the lake. Michael felt a lump in his throat. Maybe Devon really didn't want to see   
them. Maybe it wouldn't be as easy to convince him to come back as Michael had hoped.   
They continued down the slope and stopped by the outcropping of rocks.  
  
"Mind if we join you?" Michael asked.  
  
Devon sighed deeply. "I should have known you two would find me." His normally deadpan   
voice sounded especially flat.  
  
"We had a little help," Michael admitted. He and Bonnie sat down on the rocks. Bonnie was   
to Devon's left and Michael was sitting on a rock that was a bit in front of him and to the right.  
  
Devon stared down at his tea. "It's a beautiful place to retire, wouldn't you say."  
  
"If one was inclined to retire, then yes, I'd say this would be the place to do it," Michael said.  
  
"If you came to talk me out of leaving, I'm afraid your efforts were wasted."  
  
"Devon, there're some things you should know before you make that decision," Bonnie said.  
  
"The decision's already been made, Bonnie. There's really nothing left to say."  
  
"How about goodbye, at least," Bonnie said. Although her tone was angry, it was obvious that   
she was hurt.  
  
"Devon, the donation check was stolen from you at the fundraiser," Michael said. When Devon   
didn't move or say anything, he continued. "And someone was messing with your emails and   
network account, taking out important information to make you look incompetent."  
  
"They did a fine job of that," Devon said bitterly. "Who? Why?"  
  
"Peter Guerrero," Bonnie said, causing Devon to look up. "He wanted your position as head of   
FLAG. He and another hacker at Belharbor Industries were trying to get you to leave and at   
the same time trying to steal Kitt. You didn't post the report in the wrong place. Peter posted   
his copy of the report from your account. None of this is your fault, Devon."  
  
"That's good to know, but it doesn't alter anything. I've communicated my decision to the   
board and sabotage or not, it was the right decision. This position should have been passed   
along to someone else years ago. I'm too old to keep pace and too much depends on it."  
  
"Devon, if you don't want this job anymore, that's one thing. But don't leave because you think   
you're too old. There's no reason for that. In the years I've known you, you've fought for   
FLAG, you've worked along side of us, you've protected Wilton's dream, and you've   
protected Kitt. You're respected because you believe in what you're doing and you go about it   
in a fair and even way. I've watched you at fundraisers. You get people to contribute because   
you get them to believe in the power of your convictions, in the idea that one man can make a   
difference. Devon, you make a difference. And to leave because someone targeted you and   
made you doubt yourself is ridiculous. If you really don't want to do this anymore then I guess   
we'll have to live with your decision." Michael's voice grew quieter. "But please don't say   
that. We're here because we want you to stay. We need you." Michael stopped and took a   
breath. Everything he'd been thinking had just come tumbling out.  
  
Devon's head was down and he didn't say anything. Michael was surprised to see that there   
were tears in the older man's eyes. To lighten the mood a bit he added, "And, Devon, if for no   
other reason, stay because you're the only person who's ever going to get me to attend those   
horrible fundraisers."  
  
Devon smiled a little and after a minute he looked up again. "I do love what I'm doing,   
Michael, and I love all of you. I just couldn't bear the idea that by hanging on longer than I   
should have, I had harmed you. If you'll take me back, I'll stay on until I really do become a   
burden." He looked to Bonnie. "And I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye or at least tell you how to   
reach me. In my pride I didn't want you to see me as a senile, old man. I believed it would be   
easier. I didn't mean to hurt you."   
  
Bonnie hugged him with tears in her eyes. "Just don't ever do that again, okay. I was worried."  
  
"Welcome back, Devon," Kitt said from Michael's comlink.  
  
Devon untangled himself from Bonnie's embrace. "Kitt, I'm glad to see you've been   
recovered."  
  
"Yes, Devon, I was glad to be recovered."  
  
They sat together quietly, looking out over the lake.  
  
"Actually, I think that even though I'm not retiring, it's high time that I start thinking about a   
replacement. It would be a much smoother transition if someone already knew some of the   
details of the position," Devon said.  
  
"That's not a bad idea," Bonnie agreed. "We might even go easier on the hazing if we knew   
you'd given your seal of approval."  
  
"Oh, I seriously doubt that," Devon smiled. "Somehow I can't see the two of you going easy   
on anyone."  
  
"What do you say, Devon. Should we get out the rods and reels and go catch dinner?"   
Michael asked.  
  
"Yes, what's this we hear about you fishing with Wilton Knight?" Bonnie asked.  
  
Devon laughed. "I take it Jennifer told you that. Actually, Wilton fished. I usually brought   
along a novel. I never really took to the sport."   
  
"Then I guess it's up to me to catch us dinner," Michael said and made a move to get up.   
  
"Actually, Michael, the refrigerator is well-stocked, and I'm not going to be responsible for   
cleaning fish. I suggest we watch the sunset and then I'll cook you both a lovely chicken   
marsala," Devon said. "The sunsets here are really quite breathtaking. It really would be a   
wonderful place to retire."  
  
They sat together and watched as the sun slowly slipped beyond the horizon. The last light   
reflected off the lake in stunning crimson as night settled in the mountains.  
  
The End.  
  
  
Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. If you have any comments, I'd love to hear   
them. Feel free to email me at bourbda@earthlink.net.   
- knightshade  
  
  
  
  



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